The Life of a Romitri Drabble
by TheTruthAboutThe WallFlower
Summary: Through the sadness, happiness and various 'girl problems' that come with being in love with Dimitri Belikov comes a drabble series. 54- Rose wondered if this was the outcome Adrian had expected. Rating may go up.
1. Mall

Okay, I am obsessed with Vampire Academy, so I'm writing a drabble series! Feel free to send in prompts~

**Summary** When someone from their school in Portland recognises Rose

**POV **OC

1

"Woah- Rose is that you?"

From her spot in front of a rack of dresses, the seventeen year old whipped her head up from where she'd been admiring them. Her eyebrows furrow and a confused smirk creases her features. "Hey Daniel. Long time no see…"

I swagger over towards her and embrace her, noticing how tense she was. "Heh, Rose you seriously need to loosen up! Obviously you haven't had a man help you unwind, if you know what I mean." I send her a suggestive wink and Rose laughs a little and steps back, throwing a look over her shoulder.

I glance up to her line of sight to see a man in a leather duster striding over to us. With a smirk I crack my knuckles, stepping in front of Rose. As the man nears us, I ball my fists up but leave them hanging on my side. "So sweetheart, where've you been? You just suddenly disappeared on us at school."

Rose chuckles nervously, most likely because of the man's approach. He had a stern look on his face and his jaw was set. "Well, you know. I've been… around."

I turn my back on the long haired man approaching us and place an arm around her waist, settling my hand comfortably on her thigh. She seemed incredibly tense. I'd have to work out the kinks for her. Tracing patterns on her thigh I say, "C'mon baby I'll show you a good time. It doesn't matter if you moved schools. All that matters is you're here now sweetcheeks."

At my words she seemed to grow even tenser. I figure out why when an accented voice speaks up behind me. "Keep your hands off of her." He growled.

I feel Rose pinch my hand and she twirls out of my grip to stand next to the man. "Calm down comrade," she grins at him, nudging him with her shoulder lightly.

He remains impassive, a ghost of a frown on his lips. I step forward and pull Rose forcefully up against me, slightly surprised when she begins to struggle slightly. The man across from us narrows his eyes. "Kindly step away from the lady Sir."

I stare in astonishment when Rose easily steps out of my grasp, despite the iron grip I'd had. "Aww, you think I'm a lady?" she teases.

I see a flash of silver on the man's waist and I immediately grab Rose by the back of the collar and shove her into my chest, holding her in place with both arms wrapped around her. "This guy's dangerous Rose! I'm not letting you go off with him."

The brunette in my hold rolls her eyes, "Let go of me Daniel. You will seriously regret it if you don't."

With a harsh pinch to one of my nerves, Rose shrugs out of my hold. I hiss in pain but non the less reach my uninjured arm out to stop her from heading towards the foreign man. In a flash I see a bright light and a dull ringing enters my ears.

"Seriously Dimitri, I don't think you had to throw him that hard."

I groan my head swirling. An unfamiliar voice belonging neither to the man or Rose enters the conversation. "Is there a problem here?"

"This man was bothering the lady."

Immediately after those words were spoken, I felt two people grab me by the arms and heave me up from where I'd been flipped onto a rack of clothes. "Sir, I'm afraid we're going to have to escort you out."

"Thanks security!" Rose said.

My vision focuses enough for me to see the giant place a hand on her arm gently. "Roza, you are a magnet for trouble." He says, a soft, affectionate smile on his lips. I gape at them when Rose blushes and looks shyly down at the floor.

She glances back up to lock gazes with him. "You know me comrade."

I howl in outrage and weakly flail my arms as security continues to drag me out of the store. "That guys dangerous! Get her away from him!"

One of the guards look at me look I'd grown a second head. "And what exactly is so dangerous about a man taking his girlfriend shopping?"


	2. Glass Stained

Ok, I wasn't going to update so fast but I've never gotten so many reviews in such a short amount of time so this is like a reward XD Some nice sister-brotherness

**Summary **Christian is good at hugs, so hugs is what he'll give

**POV **Rose

2

"Oh Rosie Posie." Christian sighs from the doorway of the church, sadness clouding his usually mocking words.

I don't turn towards him, instead just staring straight ahead at the stained glass windows with my knees pulled up against my chest and my arms draped around my jean clad legs. My own voice lacks the snarky tone the two of us have in common when speaking to each other. "Hi Sparky."

The silence between us is oppressing and his small, gentle footsteps heading to my side on the hardwood floor are the only sound my mind registers. He sits down beside me, stretching his legs out.

My self-restraint and my comfortableness around Christian are perhaps the only thing that stop my guardian instincts from snapping his wrists instinctively when he places a warm, gentle arm around my shoulders.

I take a deep shuddering breath and lean on his shoulder, comforted when he leans his head against my own. "I need him." I croak out hoarsely, the tears, gathering in my eyes finally flowing down my cheeks and onto Christian's soft cotton tee.

He tightens his hold and rubs his hand up and down my arm. "I know Rosie Posie. I know."

I hiccup and sobs rack my body. Christian wraps his other arm around me to pull me into an embrace and I start full on bawling. All the while he whispers murmurings of comfort and soft hushes. "Shhh, I know Rose, I know. It's gonna be okay."

I know it's not going to be okay, not with Dimitri gone and undead. Christian knows it too, and usually he's the only person who can tell me the honest truth rather than offering me meaningless condolences. He's usually what keeps my mind from fogging up with false assurances and blind optimism. Usually, I need him like that. Right now, I don't.

Right now I just need a hug.


	3. Nightmares

Mkay! I love getting reviews from you guys~~ Please feel free to send in prompts or phrases or whatever. There are so many types of moments I want to write, so having a prompt would help me focus and narrow it down a bit. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING~~~

**Summary **When Lissa gets woken by a certain someone's tears

**POV **Third

Lissa fluttered her eyelids open, peering into the inky darkness around her. She strained her ears in an attempt to locate the shuddering whimpers dulled by paper thin walls. Wearily, the newly recruited queen raised herself, her soft down blanket pooling onto her lap.

With a slow blink, Lissa pinched the bridge of her nose. Nope. She wasn't imagining it. That heart wrenching sobbing was still as clear as a bell, even if quiet. As if finally processing what that meant, Lissa jumped to her feet, scanning her Lecourt bedroom in apprehension.

She wasn't in danger. That much she was certain. If she were, Rose would be in here right now…. Rose! Lissa bit her lip, slowly inching towards the door that separated their rooms. Placing an ear delicately to the rich mahogany wood, the blonde furrows her eyebrows in concern. The quiet, almost unnoticeable cries were definitely coming from her best friend.

Lissa let out a determined breath, slowly opening the door so as not to alert Rose's guardian instincts. What she saw shocked her like a slap in the face.

Rose was sleeping. It wasn't any kind of sleeping though. The brunette had tears leaking out of her scrunched up eyes, her forehead creased in terror and her mouth parted as she let in shuddering breath after another. "Di…mi…tri!" she gasped out, jerking her head as more tears soaked her pillow.

Lissa held a fist to her mouth, her own eyes filling with tears at her favourite guardians sorrow. Dimitri. She was dreaming about Dimitri. The blonde didn't know why she was so surprised.

Rose and Lissa had been in Lecourt for almost a month and a half now. They'd only just started going to the university and hadn't seen their respective couples since they'd left Court. Lissa turned her mouth down. Of course it would be harder on Rose not seeing Dimitri than it would be for Lissa not seeing Christian. They'd finally gotten each other after all they'd been through, of course it would be more difficult to be away from him.

Lissa slumped her shoulders sadly before adjusting her baby pink tank top. The queen padded quietly over to Rose's bed and sat on the edge, leaning over and gently shaking Rose awake. "C'mon Rose…" she murmured. "Wake up."

With a shuddering gasp, Rose snapped her eyes open, fear flashing through them and adrenaline pumping thickly through her veins. "Holy fuck." Rose wheezes out.

Lissa looked at her best friend in concern as Rose reached a bare arm up to wipe away the tears still streaming down her face. "Hey Liss. What are you doing up?"

The teenager just stared down at her in sympathy. "Rose. You were having nightmares about Dimitri… weren't you?"

Rose seemed to freeze, her muscles locking in apprehension again. She looked away from the Moroi, staring at the wall as more tears welled up in her big, wide chocolate orbs. Lissa rubbed an arm up and down Rose's arm. "It's okay, Rose, sweetie, he's still with you. He's a dhampir, just like you. And he's very very much in love with you okay? Rose?"

The brunette let out a choked sob and the queen wrapped her arms around Rose, pulling her into an embrace. "I know," she cried into her shoulder, "But it was so real. I-I want m-my Dimitri back!"

Lissa pet Rose's long luscious hair soothingly, "Don't worry, your Dimitri's just a phone call away. Why don't you call him up, hm?"

Rose hiccupped, "B-but he'll be sleeping."

The eldest Dragomir pulled away and grabbed the phone sitting on the nightstand, looking into her best friend's eyes as she placed it on her palm. "That man will lose more sleep if you _don't _call him. Now, I'm gonna go get you a drink, okay?"

Rose breathed in deeply, nodding her head and hitting the first button on speed dial. Lissa stood up and hovered by the door with a small, sad smile.

"H-hey." Rose smiled weakly into the phone. She let out a weak laugh before saying, "N-no, I'm fine…"

Rose lied down on her side with the phone pressed against her ear. "I just miss you. Really, really bad."

Lissa exits the room with a soft sigh, pulling the door closed behind her in an attempt at giving her guardian some privacy with her soul mate. She waved down the guardian stationed next to Rose's door when he tensed at her exit.

"Is…is Guardian Hathaway alright?" he asked tentatively as the queen approached the kitchen sink.

Lissa smiled softly. The guardian-who's name she had regrettably forgotten- was a man in his mid-forties who'd once worked at one of the academies somewhere around the world, his maternal instincts refined from his career. It was no surprise he'd overheard.

"She's going to be just fine." Lissa poured some cold water into a glass and headed back towards Rose's room, where she planned to put the glass on her night stand before quietly exiting to give Rose some alone time with her beloved.

The teenager paused right in front of the door. "Actually…" she said slowly, "Could you please arrange transport for Lord Ozera and Guardian Belikov? I expect them here by the time I wake up."

The older man gulped visibly before wiping his phone out, Lissa smirking next to him. It was moments like these where being Queen really had its perks. Rose's source of sadness would be cuddling in bed with her by the time she woke up.


	4. Bikini

I think you guys will like this one :3 Thanks for the reviews once again!

**Summary **There are some things Dimitri should just already know

**POV **Third

4

Rose stared at him, her eyes wide in vehemence as she crossed her arms over her chest. Dimitri forced his eyes from the swell of her breasts pressed against his chest to her face. He could feel his blood pump thickly as he resisted the urge to either cover her up or ravish her as he noted the thin, maroon straps were the only things making sure the little triangular pieces of cloth were covering his Roza.

"I am _not _running laps around the beach with you Dimitri."

Dimitri snapped his eyes back up to his girlfriends from where they had been slowly but surely travelling south down her voluptuous body. "And why is that?" he drawled slowly, his Russian accent coming out thick and throaty.

He notices his fellow guardian swallow and internally praises himself. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that his beau got especially hot and bothered whenever his accent grew thicker.

As if suddenly realising his scheme, Rose's glare intensifies and she pulls her hair up into a high pony tail. "I'm wearing a bikini." She grits.

Dimitri merely raises an eyebrow. He didn't see the problem in that. "You go running with me in your bra and pyjama bottoms, I don't think a bikini is much different."

Rose digs her heels into the hot sand they stood on before swivelling around and walking towards the ocean. "Men are so oblivious." She sighs. Meredith, who stood quite awkwardly in a one piece swimsuit, whole heartedly agreed with her from her spot heading towards Rose.

A small percentage of guardians from Court had all been invited to a trip to the beach. It was supposed to be a training exercise but Rose had not been informed until they'd already arrived. So she'd packed clothes for a fun day at the beach, and nothing more. She was the only female guardian in a bikini. All the others wore special one pieces designed for triathlons.

Dimitri sighed heavily before walking towards his other half. He would make her go running with him, whether she felt like it or not. A revealing bikini wasn't going to stop him.

The Russian placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulders and she turned to him, not after saying to Meredith, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to explain to my Russian tank why I'll be joining you in the water rather than run with him. Meet you in there, kay?"

Meredith nodded before wadding into the water. Turning her gaze to him, Dimitri is surprised to find a subtle blush pasted over his love's cheeks. "There is a reason I can't run in a bikini."

Dimitri just quirks an eyebrow, tuning out the quiet chuckles escaping eavesdropping guardians. "I can't fathom what it is." He says dryly.

Rose gives an exasperated sigh. "Comrade, you grew up with three sisters, how do you not know _why_?"

The twenty four year old scowls slightly. Seeing her boyfriend's ignorance, Rose lets out a frustrated groan. "It hurts okay!?"

Dimitri blinks. "What?" he says slowly.

Rose glances around them and glares at the snickering guardians near them before crossing her arms over her chest again. "I can't run when I'm in a bikini because it _hurts_ okay? It's not like in the movies where the girl can run around in a bikini top with her boobs jiggling and not be effected okay!?"

Dimitri twitches at this new information. "Is…is that why the female guardians are wearing specific types of swimsuits?"

"Yes comrade!" Rose rolls her eyes in exasperation, "Bikinis are only good for making your girls look big. Other than that, they're literally a pain to exercise in, except for swimming."

Dimitri gulps loudly, taking a quick glance at her 'girls' before turning away with a blush on his face. "Oh."

Rose grins slyly before reaching up for a quick, chaste kiss. Just as Dimitri goes to pull her closer to his body, Rose twirls on her feet and heads for the ocean, where Meredith awaited her.

Glancing warily at her retreating form, Dimitri turned to go head over to one of the sun shades. The surrounding chuckles of the male guardians envelope him and he averts his eyes from them, knowing they'd overheard every piece of their conversation. Mikhail pats him on the shoulder in mock sympathy. "There are just some things you should automatically know about the female anatomy and that, my friend, was one of them."


	5. Pregnant

Sorry If I'm making Rose too touchy feely but *shrugs* this is how I think she would react. Hope you guys like it, thanks for all of your amazazing reviews! I have officially reached over a thousand views on this story, which makes me very, very happy :) Happy reading!

**Summary** Dimitri knows exactly what to say, because he's feeling it too.

**POV **Third

5

When Dimitri comes home that night he's immediately worried. Rose hasn't ambushed him yet, as she is prone to do, and the house is as quiet as a mouse. When Rose Hathaway (soon to be Belikov, he would make sure) was in a room, everyone would know about it.

So the Russian warily surveyed their house until coming to the bedroom. The door was left wide open, leaving their queen sized bed clearly visible. On top of said bed lay a lump of blankets and one Rose Hathaway.

Immediately Dimitri grins softly, pulling his T-shirt up and over his head, and kicking his shoes off. Before he can get to the rest of his clothes however, a soft whimper escapes the blankets. With his brown eyes sharp and instantaneously worried, Dimitri halts his movements.

When another sniffle reaches his ears, Dimitri slowly stalks towards the bed. "Roza?" he murmurs, brown decadent eyes filled with concern.

"G-go away." The blankets hiccup softly.

The 6'7 man slides onto the bed, pulling the covers off of his love to wrap himself as well. Turning her to face him, Dimitri takes in her appearance. Rose's eyes were puffy and red with her cheeks showing clear signs of tear tracks.

"My Roza." He whispers softly, digging his hands through her hair and massaging her scalp gently. He brings her close to him, enveloping his girlfriend in a fierce hug.

"H-hey Dimitri." She whispers huskily.

"What is wrong, my Rose?" he breathes, placing his forehead against her own. Rose's eyes glimmered with unshed tears and she averts her eyes from his own, a bitter smile overcoming her distraught features.

"Nothing's wrong. In fact, everything is perfect." Rose stares into his own eyes, her smile slowly fading as a tormented look filled her beautiful brown eyes. "Lissa is pregnant, after all."

Dimitri sucks in a sharp breath, everything suddenly making sense as his own eyes filtered a haunted look of his own. "Oh my Roza."

Rose lets her tears fall once again before hiccupping, burrowing her face into his naked chest. Sniffling, Rose manages to stammer out, "I-I j-just want a b-baby! I just want… I just want, " she takes a shuddering breath, "M-my own baby!"

Dimitri's heart bursts and he can't help but wonder how he thought not being able to bear his children would hurt himself more than his lovely, lovely Rose. He lets his own tears fall at this point, the salty fluid mixing in with his beau's silken hair.

Placing a gentle kiss on Rose's forehead, Dimitri tilts her chin up to look into her eyes. "You can have a baby Roza." He smiled sadly.

Rose balls her hands into fists and presses them deeply into his chest. "That's what I s-should be saying to you."

With a growl, Dimitri's expression darkens and he gives his girlfriend a hot, scorching kiss that burned her lips and made her stomach churn. "The only woman who will bare my child is you Roza, don't fucking doubt that."

With a small gasp at Dimitri's usually unspoken vulgarity, Rose lets out a shaky breath, gazing into Dimitri's eyes filled with intensity. Wrapping her arms around him, Rose says, "Don't be such a fucking hypocrite then comrade, the only sperm I'm letting inside my vagina is _yours_."

Chocking back a laugh, Dimitri barely hides his smile in his love's hair. The couple lay there like that for a few minutes, letting the mood around them turn sombre once more. "What would you name our baby?" Dimitri murmurs into her hair.

Rose hiccups slightly before wiping at her face, looking up at her lover with a watery smile. "If we had a boy I think I'd like to name him Mason. Or Ivan. I can never decide between the two."

Dimitri stares into her eyes, deeply touched by her implications. She would contemplate naming their unborn child on a man she'd never met and only heard of briefly over a man who'd gotten killed in an attempt to save her- a man she'd known and loved her whole life. What she'd said- his eyes soften at the thought- also meant… His Roza had definitely thought about being a mother very thoroughly.

Dimitri tucks a wayward strand of hair behind her ears. "And if it were a girl?"

Rose snuggles in closer to his body, absentmindedly tracing a pattern on his abs with her fingertips. Ignoring the urge to kiss her senseless at the alarmingly arousing feeling, Dimitri focuses on the cloudy texture her eyes had achieved with nostalgia.

"I'm not so sure about that," Rose hums, the sound reverberating through his body, "There are just so many more options. I've thought about naming her Alberta a lot, or Rhea. They're just as much mothers to me as Janine is, if not more. But I figured our baby would hate me if I named her something as old-fashioned as Alberta. And naming her Rhea… I don't really think I have a right to. I'm not actually her real daughter after all."

Feeling her slip back into that haunted place he'd found her in, Dimitri quickly butts in, "What about Anya?"

Rose snorts. "That is what everybody would expect us to name her, no doubt about that."

Dimitri gives a wry smile, "And of course, Rose Hathaway is anything but predictable."

The two fall into a melancholic silence again, broken only momentarily by Rose's phone vibrating, indicating a text. After checking sure it wasn't a guardian text, Rose slides Dimitri's pants off for him, leaving him in only his briefs and a pair of socks. Rose, who was dressed in a sports bra and boy cut shorts only, then leaned her back against his chest.

Feeling his arms entwine around her stomach tightly, and his face burrow in the crook of her neck, Rose exhales sadly. "Dimitri?" she whispers quietly.

Dimitri's arms tighten their hold reassuringly, "Yes my Roza?"

"Please," her voice cracks, "Just… just never let me go."

Dimitri places a kiss to the juncture between her shoulder and neck. "Never." He swears, as tears start trailing down his beloved's face once more. "I love you." The sentiment is quiet, so quiet Rose almost doesn't hear… But she does, so she takes a shuddering breath and more tears flow. Her arms grip the ones encircling her and Dimitri knows her response without her having to say anything.


	6. Poison

I think you guys will like this one. Chapter seven, whenever I upload it, is probably one of my favourites, but that's just cuz of the theme of it :P Thank you again for all of your amazing reviews :)

**Summary **Rose would never look at apricot chicken the same again

**POV **Third

6

Everyone knew that Rose was not a naturally talented chef. They knew it as well as they knew that Dimitri was a very talented chef. Which was why Rose would never let him live this moment down. Never.

The night the incident occurred, Dimitri had prepared apricot chicken with baked potatoes and veggies. He'd never made apricot chicken before. But when Christian had boasted his recently gained homemade recipe for apricot chicken, Dimitri just had to surpass him. It would be found out at a later date that the Russian had only wanted to do this for his Roza, who'd stated that Christian's chicken was like a mouth orgasm. And we all know how possessive Dimitri is about Rose and… how and whom _pleasures_ her.

Rose was iffy about sampling her love's chicken. While Dimitri could make a kickass blini and mouth-watering black bread, Rose knew how badly first attempted cooking experiments could end. She knew because of her own experiments and because she was Christian's lab rat for all of his food trials. Because of this, she knew that even the most gifted could fail easily on their first try.

And while she didn't tell Dimitri, Olena had fed her plenty of stories about Dimitri learning to cook. Majority of these stories proved that, once upon a time, Dimitri was an even worse cook than she was.

So when Rose had thrown up the contents of her stomach not a day later, she was perhaps the only one not surprised. The chicken _had_ tasted suspiciously soft. Nonetheless, her Russian God had swept her off her feet and to the doctors'.

He'd demanded she get examined in every way possible to find out what was wrong with her. Then, after Rose had been carted away, he'd called all of their friends up, who'd all rushed to the hospital. Lissa had blurted out that maybe Rose was pregnant. That had caused Abe to faint. Although no one ever mentioned that whenever the story was retold, except Rose when she'd found out.

So when Rose walked out of the exam room clutching her stomach, the first thing she did was stand in the centre of their cluster of friends and family. She'd scanned the room critically with a sharp, sardonic smile on her slightly green face and said, "Dimitri is a great cook right? And I'm the bad one hm?"

Suspiciously, everyone had agreed. What was Rose Hathaway up to _now?_

Rose had turned to bore her accusing eyes into her lover's and had said loudly, _very _loudly, "Then does anyone else find it a little hypocritical that Dimitri's home cooked meal has given me food poisoning?"

It was silence at first, with the only Belikov in the room frozen with shock while the others gaped at him. Then, slowly but surely, everyone had started to laugh. At him.

It didn't stop until Abe had spoken up. "You poisoned my daughter..?.."

That was when everyone shut up. Rose had rolled her eyes weakly before walking up to her boyfriend, who looked extremely guilty, and leaning against him so he supported most of her weight. "Too bad. Now you're gonna have to look after me for the next few days!" there was a mischievous smile adorning her face, one that suggested many things.

But then her expression turned bland, "But if you ever give me food poisoning again, you won't be having sex for at least three weeks."

Everyone started to laugh again, except Abe, who looked absolutely horrified, and Dimitri paled slightly at the dead serious look she gave him, leaning down to press a lingering kiss on the side of her head. "Of course Roza." He replied solemnly.

It would only do good to remember not to get in the way of Rose Hathaway and her food. Whether she was salivating over Dimitri's Adonis body or a box of chocolate glazed donuts, nothing would get in her way to satisfaction.


	7. Little Einstein's

I suggest you listen to the Little Einstein's theme song while reading this ;3 I love Paul C: He is such a cutie! I mean come on. A kid Dimitri. Who wouldn't love that? ANYWHO thank you all for your amazing reviews~~

**Summary **Rose obviously adores Paul and Zoya to be so devoted to her babysitting duties.

**POV **Third

7

"We're going on a trip in our favourite rocket ship!"

"_Zoooooming through the sky!"_

"Little Einstein's!"

Dimitri almost chokes on his barely held back laughter. Leaning on the doorframe of his bedroom, he quietly observes the scene playing out in front of him. Rose, Paul and Zoya were all dancing and singing. To the Little Einstein's theme song.

"Climb aboard, get ready to explore, there's sooooo muuuuch to find, _Little Einstein's!"_ The three belt out. Waving their hands and stomping their feet, Dimitri knows that his sisters will curse the day Rose ever introduced them to this song, especially after they left and no one would be willing to sing and dance with them.

"We're going on a mission-" Rose starts.

"Start the countdown!" Paul continues.

"_5! 4! 3, 2, 1!"_

Dimitri's eyes soften as Paul and Zoya stare up at Rose in complete adoration. The beaming smiles on their faces assured him that the two, or at least Paul, considering Zoya's age, would always treasure this moment. Rose would make an amazing mother.

"Everyone one should rock it!"

"Rev it up now!" Paul says by himself.

"BRRRRRRRHHHHH!" Zoya finishes with a cheer, laughing loudly when Rose picked her up by her armpits and swung her around the room, Paul dancing at her feet.

The chorus repeats itself, the trio giggling so much they almost couldn't sing it. Suddenly, Rose swirled around to face the door, a gleam in her molten brown eyes and a large smile on her face.

"Come on!" she beckons.

Paul tugs at his trouser pants and Dimitri looks down at Paul's pleading expression and wide grin, "Let's go!"

"Little Einstein's!" they sing together.

As soon as he was placed in the centre of the room, Rose tackles him to the floor, "We! Need! You!"

With a boisterous laugh, Dimitri joins in when Zoya, Paul and Rose all belt out, "_Little Einstein's!"_

"Yeah!" Soon it's a dog pile on Dimitri and unnoticed from the door, Karolina quickly grabs the camera recording their routine that had been placed on the wall just opposite to the room, getting a clear view of everything, even when Dimitri's form had stood in the doorway. Olena (and maybe even Yeva) would probably weep at their family's happiness once they saw this.

It would also serve as good blackmailing purposes if Paul ever went through a phase where he was too cool for his family, Karolina grinned wickedly.


	8. Inner Nightmares

Once again thannnnnk you for all of your lovely reviews :) And to guest reviewer Nina- Personally I myself don't like Mason-Ivan, it sounds ridiculous, and I know it was kind of hypocritical of me to say Anya was clichéd but Mason and Ivan weren't. I just disagree, I think Rose would want to honour her fallen comrades so to speak.

Anyway, yesterday I had a school assembly and I had to laugh when they played Little Einstein's at the start. Perfect timing huh?

**Summary **Her darkness creeps in and it's one she's had since birth.

**POV **Lissa

8

In truth, when I woke up that night to Rose's crying, I felt like a horrible person. It wasn't just because of the obvious reason that she was in pain.

I'd found myself _glad _she was having a nightmare. I found myself wishing and wanting for the days where it was just Lissa and Rose. Where it was only each other whom we could rely and confide in. And I felt a black tar of bitterness weighing low in my stomach.

Why was it always Dimitri? I'd thought, gazing down at her tear stained face. Why was it that only Dimitri could calm her and soothe her fears? Rose was _my _best friend. And even though it was never voiced, why did she even have to second guess who she should save if it came down to it? It should always be me! She should always put _me _first!

As Rose cries into my shoulder I hand her phone to her and stand up. What was wrong with me? Rose had just as much a right to love as I did. But a little voice in the back of my head disagreed. _Rosie lives for you, only for you. Always and _only _for you._

I take in a shuddering breath as I fill a glass up with water, my shaking hand almost dropping it. That voice scared me. I knew why it scared me. That voice was not spirit.

It was me.

Talking to the guardian stationed at the door, I give him a command that I know will make Rose happy but it leaves me with a sick, dark feeling welling in the back of my mind. I should be happy. If Dimitri comes, it means Rose will be happy. It means that Christian will come and he can save me from the darkness fogging my mind. The darkness that previously only Rose could save me from.

Finally reaching my room, I sit down on the bed, pulling my knees up to my chin. But maybe that was what scared me the most? The fact that I _wanted_ to wallow in this ever present darkness? That I yearned to fall deep into the depths of despair, the pits so deep only Rose and her pretty, long brown hair could pull me from.

I wanted to fall into that sea of bitterness, because at least then I know Rose will pay attention to me. That she'll discard her love to take care of me and I'll be her sole devotion once more (the voice whispers that I'll have to do something more permanent, that'll get rid of Dimitri forever so Rose will be mine, mine, _mine_ once more). I curl my head in shame at the thoughts I have. But I would arrange these things, the times for Dimitri and Christian to visit, to please Rose. That made me a good best friend.

Another voice, different from the dark overlord that consumed my mind, whispers that a good best friend doesn't have those kinds of thoughts at all. And I know that _that_ is the voice of spirit and I should block it out but I will allow it that small indulgence, that small victory, because I know it's true. That really I am the worst best friend in the world.


	9. Mr Turtle

Hii! Thank you all for your fantabulous reviews ;) Okay just to let you guys know-because this chapter and lasts are both pretty anti-Lissa- I actually do quite like her. Although I understand why some people don't- yunacarman ;) – I think the dynamics of her and Rose's relationship is quite complicated and needs to be looked at from a negative perspective as well. Richelle Mead has covered the basics very vaguely and I want to look into all the little things she never mentioned in her fabulous book series.

**Summary **Lissa has a scar on her thumb from this incident that reminds Rose constantly of the sacrifices she's always made.

**POV **Rose

9

When Lissa and I were seven, Victor Dashkov took us to an aquarium. We'd both been so excited, not caring that our sleeping schedule would be out of whack for days afterwards just so that we could spend one day- an actual day, with the sun and everything- staring at fish.

When we got there Lissa and I had immediately gravitated towards the turtle exhibit. We were allowed to pet it and Lissa went first. It bit her. Sliced some skin right off the back of her thumb. She still had a scar, even today.

Once the turtle bit her it would not let go. None of the adults had seen it and I'd somehow known that Victor would take us home if he found out. So I'd grabbed the turtle by its shell and pulled. Looking back, that really wasn't one of my smarter plans. It had just resulted in more skin being torn from Lissa's thumb.

Immediately, we had run away to the star fish exhibit. Lissa had stood there, tears and snot running down her face as she held her tiny thumb out to me. I'd torn the bottom of my only dress, the nicest clothing I owned, and wrapped her thumb in the way-too-long piece of cotton. It had soaked the blood right up.

So no one would take us home early and spoil our day, I'd ripped even more of my dress and handed it to my best friend to use as a tissue and a facecloth. But the tears just kept coming and eventually Lissa had started to ball.

Noticing the odd looks passer-bys gave us, I'd hissed (yes hissed) at them before turning Lissa away from the judgemental glances. In reality they'd probably been concerned, but Rose Hathaway didn't trust adults that were not guardians or the occasional Moroi.

To lighten the mood and make her feel better I'd said, as a joke, "Aren't animals supposed to be hating me?"

But Lissa had looked up at me (once upon a time I was taller than her) with a horrified expression and proceeded by scrunching her face up and wailing as loud as she could. "N-no!" she'd sobbed. "Animals love me! They should hate _you_!"

"W-well… Maybe I'm rubbing off on you?" I'd replied weakly, glancing around and moving Lissa through the crowds in an attempt to keep Victor's guardians from locating the blonde's piercing wails.

Lissa stopped suddenly, locking into place. Her face turned into one of steel and cold grace that looked ridiculous on a seven year old but in future would be the look of a queen. "Then you can't be my best friend Rosie."

My eyebrows had scrunched up and I'd replied in a somewhat pinched voice, "W-what?"

Crossing her arms fiercely with a scowl, Lissa had pouted. "You can't be my best friend because it's your fault Mr Turtle hates me. And everyone else will hate me if we're friends."

At this point Victor and his guardians had found us and we spent the rest of the day refusing to talk to each other, the silence only filled with Victor's mindless chatter. He'd never noticed the bandage on Lissa's finger. And while he noticed my torn, ruined pretty dress, I'd merely told him that it had been like that for a while.

Of course, a few days later Lissa's thumb got infected and she'd been so scared that she'd immediately 'forgiven' me and everything had gone back to normal. To commemorate our regained friendship, Victor had bought me a new dress that sparkled and shone when it glittered in the moonlight.

Looking back on it now, I can't help but think bitterly that it wasn't the animals she was talking about hating her by association. And how I always did have to sacrifice anything I had to make her happy. How it ruined and sullied that pretty thing. And eventually someone would replace that pretty thing (never Lissa though, she never replaced the things she had inadvertently stolen or destroyed) before she would take it and destroy it all over again.

Why can't I have something that's just for me and no one else for once?


	10. Hate

Thank you for all of your amazing reviews! :) Here is another chapter! I think you guys will like this one. I'd like to say it isn't the common thought process for this erm… particular 'theme'.

**Summary **She shifts the blame onto someone else because it scares her when she's reminded that she is the monster.

**POV **Tasha

10

I stared down at my hands, missing the fire I could previously summon on a whim. It was gone now. Everything familiar and that I loved was gone.

I ignore the girl- woman I silently correct- across from me, who sat outside the bars. Her skilled eyes were trained on me with vibrant tears streaking down her face. Before, when my mind was not in the right place, I'd begged the gods the right to make this young woman cry because of me. And here she was, pain flashing in her eyes, both physical and emotional. It was my fault.

No, a voice whispers. I squeeze my eyes closed, willing it to go away. It was the same voice that had forced me to do all of this. It had pestered at me until I'd finally caved in and done horrible, unthinkable crimes. I was just as bad as Lucas and Moira. If only I'd been stronger, like the beautiful, brave woman who sat broken a few feet away.

With haunted eyes I watch and listen as that bold, courageous woman vainly attempted to say something. Something meaningful. Everything that came out of her mouth was meaningful, and full of devotion to her causes.

But that little voice that I despise even more than I did Tatiana niggles at the back of my mind. No, it whispers. What has been done to this beautiful thorned Rose is not your fault.

I tune in to the voice at this, my eyes hollow and dull. Of course it was my fault. She'd almost died because of me. I'd almost rid the world of a soul so peaceful and righteous.

No, the voice says again, more sternly. It's all _his _fault.

I suck in a sharp breath. Dimka? It was… his fault?

Instantly my brain shows me a slideshow of memories. _If he had just stayed dead, as a Strigoi, than you wouldn't have had to do any of this._ _Rose wouldn't be suffering._

I feel the last rational part of my mind slip away. It was right. _I _was right. My eyes blaze with cold hard fury, placed not at the woman across from me but at a tall Russian guardian.

If he had stayed undead I wouldn't have to face the embarrassment that he didn't want me because as a Strigoi it wouldn't matter anyway. If he had stayed undead, if Rose had just been able to kill him damn it, than I never would have had to do such a horrible thing to the flower, the beacon, of hope that Rose was. The hope that she instilled in the rebelling Moroi society was greater than anything I'd ever seen.

But Dimitri's failed attempts at not recuperating her love had ended in her beacon dimming. Once again he'd broken another heart, when he should've stayed dead. If he was not going to be mine, why should Rose have him? He would just taint her shimmering hope for the world. That's what my thoughts had been.

I know better now. I hate him. He made me do it. Dimka made me frame Rose, made me try to kill that marvellous woman.

As I look upon the face I'd tried to kill, the face that probably hated me most, I feel a stone cold weight enter my stomach. He made me do this.

I hate him.


	11. Paint

Thank you for all of your amazing reviews~~ I get butterflies every time I obsessively check my account and see I've got a new review :P I would've posted this chapter this morning but my brother stole my laptop and took it to TAFE… I only just go it back then. Personally, this is one of my least favourite drabble pieces I've written. I don't know why, I think it just didn't flow as smoothly as I wanted it to. It wasn't forced or anything it was just hard to decide on what direction this was going.

**Summary **It would've been a compromising situation had she walked in a few hours before hand.

**POV **Third

11

She sat cross legged, with her back hunched and her face squashed in slumber against an unopened can of paint. Her arms encircled it like a teddy bear, causing her arm to dip in a splash of indigo blue paint lying near her elbow.

She lay in between his outstretched legs and his head rested on her stooped back with his strong, lean arms encircled around her waist. He was shirtless, with a turquoise coloured 'R' painted boldly on his back.

"'Mitri…" Rose sighed happily.

Dimitri growled softly in his sleep, nuzzling Rose's bikini clad back. It was an old pair, one that had too small cups and stretched out straps that barely held it in place. Coupled with a worn pair of jean shorts, the youngest Hathaway wore the clothes she would care least about ruining while painting a house's interior. Likewise, Dimitri wore only a pair of jeans rolled up to his knees, ones he hadn't worn since he'd guarded Ivan.

A breeze from a nearby opened window came in, causing Rose to shiver slightly and Dimitri to burrow further into the smooth expanses of her skin. Her long, wavy brunette hair tickled his face, causing the Russian to reflexively move it out of the way. In doing so, his fingers brushed his beau's bare back in a caress, causing her to shiver in pleasure.

Staring down at them from the foyer (painted a deep berry purple) Sydney feels awkward. The overwhelming feeling of love floated about the air and the alchemist can only imagine how a pair of half breed vampires could ever achieve such a still sense of belonging while _sleeping. _

If she'd caught any other dhampir in this compromising position she would immediately declare them unfit as a guardian for not immediately waking up at her entrance. But the blonde knew Rose's skill. And Dimitri was her former mentor.

Sydney didn't know whether to feel flattered or disgusted with herself. She'd gone into an intensive study of dhampir's and there training habits after meeting Rose so if her sources were correct it meant that Rose trusted her. Wholly and completely. When a dhampir of Rose's skill set didn't wake up at the presence of another it only meant one thing. That that dhampir instinctively trusted that person. On the other hand, how could Sydney let herself get so close to the vile, unnatural being? It went against her beliefs when Sydney found that she was intensely proud to say that Rosemarie Hathaway trusted her.

Letting out a little sigh, Sydney suddenly wished she loved someone as unconditionally as Rose did. It wasn't just Dimitri either. It was Vasilisa, Christian, her horrible parents. The amount of love Rose gave out was remarkable. People gave their lives for her as often as she did them. Sydney had read her file before. She knew Ashford had been killed in an attempt to save the girl he was smitten with.

And the fact that Dimitri Belikov, a fighting _god, _placed so much trust in her while unconscious was amazing. As soon as Sydney had walked in, she'd seen the pair tense, their bodies wake up. But a split second later Rose had relaxed. At the feeling of his love's relaxation, Dimitri had mumbled something incoherent before slipping back into the realm of obliviousness.

Sydney coughed lightly and Dimitri's eyes flared open, intense and ready for battle. Even if he was relaxed in her presence, it didn't mean he wasn't alert to his other senses.

But the Russian just flicked a glance her way before pulling his girlfriend back into his chest and rolling them to face away from her. He hooked a long, lean muscled leg over Rose's hip before settling his head at the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.

Sydney shuffled her feet, aware that Dimitri knew she was there and waiting by his coiled, stiff back muscles not yet relaxed enough for sleep. The large 'R' painted there was painfully obvious and Sydney isn't too sure who's idea it would've been to put it there.

Rose was very territorial of her love and loved to stake her claim. Likewise, Dimitri loved to tell the world that he was hers and vice versa. She wouldn't be surprised if there was a matching 'D' somewhere on Rose's body.

From the angling of his head and the soft giggles emitting from the slowly awakening dhampir, Sydney can almost imagine the butterfly kisses that the Russian places on his love to wake her up. Suddenly the alchemist felt uncomfortable, like she was intruding a very private moment. Which she was. She was in there house uninvited, ogling and analysing their relationship ten feet away while they slept.

Sydney takes a step back, turning around to exit out of the door, knowing, with a red hot blush, that Dimitri was very likely distracting Rose with a hot, scorching kiss so as to keep her from noticing the alchemist, if the throaty, feminine moan was anything to go by. It looks like even the Russian himself wanted her to go away.

Deciding that the message the alchemists had for the couple could wait, Sydney quietly shut the door after herself. She would leave them to have their private moment. Letting the fated pair paint their newly bought house like a regular couple was the least she could do. God only knows how 'normal' they do things in their relationship anyway, Sydney thinks, quickening her pace when she hears a seductive laugh through the door.


	12. Technology

Okay I got really good feedback for chapter 11 :) In fact it made me realise I haven't actually done many fluffy moments between the two of them… at least not really. Oh and just a hint; I'm planning on writing a sort of extension piece of Paint, like from Dimitri's POV right after Sydney left or something. Oh and just a warning: this chapter gets a little… saucy. I'm not really sure if I should up the rating to M or not…

**Summary **Dimitri knew she was good at promises, but this was one promise he was determined for her to break.

**POV **Dimitri

12

"Oh. My. God!" Rose seethes, repeatedly slamming her head into her desk.

I watch her curiously from the couch, my head tilted backwards to watch her. "What is it Rose?"

Rose jerks her head back up and grabs a fistful of her silky locks in each hand. "I hate this fucking computer!"

I chuckle deeply before swinging my legs over the side and padding over to her. She sat in one of the wooden dining chairs, looking uncomfortable and frustrated. I loosely toyed with a strand of her hair, leaning my elbows on the back of the chair.

Immediately Rose stiffens and her breathing becomes slightly laboured. I hold back a grin and nuzzle into her shoulder, feeling her shiver when my breath hits her skin. "What are you trying to do Roza?" I mumble.

Rose gulps before shakily unclenching her hands folded in her lap. "I was trying to buy something." She says simply.

I grin against her bare neck, letting out a breath near the shell of her ear. "What were you trying to buy Roza?" I inhale her dizzying scent, purposefully rolling the 'r' of her name.

Letting out a small pant she replies, "A vibrator."

I let out a loose chuckle, "Is it really _that_ horrible having to keep your hands off of me?"

Rose lets out a shaky laugh. "I think it's more the problem of _you_ keeping your hands to yourself comrade." She stands up and paces across the room to get out of my grip, where I'd slowly been inching my hands up her thighs.

In response I cross my arms, my muscles bunching up in the process. When Rose next turns to face me I notice her freeze and her darkened eyes cloud as she gazes at my shirtless self. All I wore was a pair of grey sweatpants.

I let out another throaty chuckle at her ogling. Two weeks ago was Hans Croft's birthday. For a present from all of Guardian headquarters Rose had sacrificed something she knew Guardian Croft would appreciate. Her sex life.

The deal she'd made him was that she would give up sex (everyone knew how frustrated Hans got whenever he found the two of us getting hot and heavy on duty) for the whole month. And everyone would be able to tell if she gave in.

As odd as it was, many people had pointed out to the both of us that the sexual tension between us was so obvious just when we'd had sex the night before. So when we hadn't had sex for more than two days, it was painfully obvious.

Apparently I was more possessive of Rose when I was sexually frustrated. I was grumpier, I snapped easily and whenever the two of us had training sessions or had guardian duty together I followed her around the room and our training was so intense young couples watched us on dates with lustful eyes. While that bit was kind of creepy, it gave it away when we needed to get laid.

And unfortunately due to Lehigh we had to be apart for two week durations quite a lot. So we knew what it was like. Right now Rose and Lissa were on holidays. What Rose probably hadn't considered was that by the time her month celibate was over, she'd have to go back there. For three weeks. And I would be unable to visit her during then. I refused to go without sex for seven weeks, no matter how happy Croft was that he hadn't found any of Rose's underwear dangling in the Guardian Headquarters.

I knew Rose needed release too. She was seriously going to buy a vibrator to pleasure herself. She was obviously desperate if she was willing to buy that. The only times she had free time off was when I did. She'd have to have known that the only time she'd be able to use the device would be when I would be right in the next room. That would just be cruel, for the both of us.

My eyes darken in lust as I hazily watch Rosa adjust the loose strap of her tank top. Looking down at her chest area I could tell she felt just as aroused as I did. Well, that and that she wasn't wearing a bra.

I slowly stalk towards her, crushing her against me and hoisting her up so she could wrap her lithe legs around my waist. "Dimitri…" she breathes, her chest rising and falling in sync with my own.

"You're so cruel to me Roza." I murmur, making my accent even more pronounced. I tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and lean in, my mouth a centimetre away from the appendage. "How can you deprive a man of his needs when you're the only one that can satiate them?"

I hear the hitch in my love's breath and I feel her slowly grind her hips, her head falling to hide into my neck when she feels my obvious need for her. When she starts placing slow, tantalising kisses on my bare neck, I run wild.

I carry us as far as the wall, where I slam her back into the structure. "Hurry up," Rose gasps as I nibble on her collarbone. I raise my eyes to hers and as soon as our eyes connect I get rid of the space between us by placing a fierce, bruising kiss to her lips.

I bite down gently on her lower lip, her moan rippling through our bodies as I gently lick her lip. She complies by opening them and I taste her tongue, like honey and morning dew. She rakes her nails into my back and grinds her pelvis against mine, making me groan aloud.

The next day Rose and I go into work and Hans Croft takes one look at us, smiles weakly before saying "It was nice while it lasted."


	13. Mourn

Okay I think you guys all loved last chapter! XD And to luciinwaters, no I haven't ever actually written a lemon before although if any of you guys really want me to I'd be willing to give it a shot. Just let me know. By the way, if you guys ever want to send me in prompts, go ahead :P I haven't actually been given any so… Anyway thank you for all of your amazing reviews! :)

**Summary **She reminisces down below and he watches on with a sweet, sad smile.

**POV **Third

13

Mason loves Rose. It's always been so obvious, such a pure love. And she loves him too, he knows it. But he also knows it's not the same kind of love as the one she gives to someone else. Before he'd raced into that house in Spokane, before he'd gotten his neck snapped, Mason had wanted one thing. For her to love him like he did her.

But now, watching her from afar in a place he didn't understand but knew was after death, Mason knew the only thing he truly wanted was for her to be safe. That was why he'd done it. He'd rushed in there to save her, because he knew he wanted her to live and get together with the man she'd broken his heart for. He wanted her to make more friends, better friends than he ever was. Friends who wouldn't almost let the love of their life die for them, instead of them. Because that is what would've happened if he hadn't sacrificed himself.

Although it turns out Rose is more than the love of his life, she's the love of his everything if his dead self was anything to go by. And he knows that her everything belongs to Dimitri. Although he wished he wasn't stupid enough to get him where he was, he wishes he was smart enough so that maybe instead of him dying he could be listening to Rose's explanation of why they would never be more than brothers and sisters. He wishes he'd lived long enough for her to be able to explain that to him, that maybe he'd be the one to walk her down the aisle because he now knows that although Abe Mazur is her father, she doesn't respect him enough to allow him that privilege.

He knows she would have asked him, had he been alive.

Looking down at her now, Mason has mixed emotions. Today is the day of his death, a year after the incident. Rose is at St. Vladimirs, mourning him, mourning their memories. Eddie, his dear best friend Eddie, who'd done Mason's job for him (the job to protect their Rose) once he'd left, was there also. But for the time being, it is only Rose.

She is sitting underneath the tree that the two of them had planted way back when they were six. It was healthy and strong and Rose's tears made it grow stronger. Tears stream down her face and Rose speaks aloud. "Remember, Mase, t-that time when y-you and m-me…"

Yes, he wants to tell her with the smile he knows she misses, because she tells him all the time, even when it's not the anniversary of his death. I do remember.

There are so many emotions that he feels when he looks at this girl, at his favourite girl, and it's impossible for him to work them all out. So he decides to focus on her instead. Although he knows its selfish Mason can't help but be thankful that the only thing consuming her thoughts on this day is him.

Or, to be more accurate, him and everyone included in the vast majority of memories Rose holds of him. And there are a lot. He never even realised until now, but he is in almost every single one of her memories. He was an integral part of everything she came to be. That makes him sad. And for the first time he listens to the dark part of Rose that calls him selfish for leaving her all alone in the cold, dark world that suddenly lacked his orange bright hair that lightened up her day.

He listens to it with a sad smile and knows she truly loves him, that she always will, but he doesn't regret his decision. It is probably one of the only decisions he doesn't regret. Saving her, giving her a chance to live, by sacrificing himself, is something he'll never regret. Because he knows that while a part of her calls him selfish for forcing her to stay, that there are a lot more people who would mourn the day Rose Hathaway leaves the world more than the day Mason Ashford did.

Which is why he also knows that every one of their friends and everyone who loves Rose, weeps on this day in pretence for him but in reality they cry because it was the day the world almost lost Rose Hathaway.

So he loves Rose even more because she is the only one who truly, honestly wails and sobs and cries in sorrow for him. Only him. Today is the day Rose's thoughts will only be consumed by him.

**! #**

**PS **I'd just like to say, for future reference as well, that I'm not a religious person so whenever I write Mason's POV after his death or like this one, just assume that he is in a heaven of some sort. He's not necessarily in heaven but that's the closest example to whatever after life place he resides in.


	14. Seduction

Okay thank you all for those AMAZAZING reviews! Now this one is a lot more upbeat and I think you guys will enjoy it, especially after Mason's little chapter. The end paragraph is kind of a reference to chapter whatever titled Inner Nightmares because I know a few of you guys wanted a chapter where Rose knew Dimitri was all hers and while this isn't as in depth as what you might have been expecting, I wanted to do something light hearted. (OH and has anyone seen The DUFF? I went and saw it today with a friend and I love it *cue eye hearts*)

**Summary **Rose is possessive and proud.

**POV **Third

14

Rose narrows her eyes at the blonde bimbo walking with a seductive smile over to her man, barely repressing a hiss that would only result in Dimitri giving her one of his exasperated head shakes like the ones he gave her in the academy whenever she used Rose-logic.

"Hey handsome…" the scantily dressed woman purrs, trailing her fingers down Dimitri's buff arm in a spidery pattern. It makes Rose want to barf. Well, that, and the cheap perfume spritzed over the cigarette smell that cloaked the woman like a second skin. Plus, what kind of nickname was 'handsome'? Not only was her Russian god _way _better than handsome, but how much more unoriginal could you get? Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Rose thinks with an air of superiority that 'comrade' is ten times better.

She bites the inside of her cheek, glaring at the hooker as she fluttered her eyelashes. The blue eyed woman sent the briefest of glances her way from where Rose sat _right next to Dimitri_ with _their fingers interlocked._

Did Rose have to scream at this chick that he was taken? Is that what it took? Or maybe she should write on his forehead 'Property of Rose Hathaway'?

With a barely supressed grimace, Rose surveys the girl before her. Needing something to criticise, Rose raises her eyebrows at the revealing top. It was red and sparkly and dipped down to show what minimal cleavage the girl had.

Turning her nose up, Rose grins smugly. Not only did she look way better in red, but her double D's were sure to knock this girl out of the competition. Although, Rose reconsiders when her beau sends a reassuring squeeze through their hold, Dimitri would never consider such filth.

Rose almost wants to scowl again. Geez, this bimbo had her talking like a royal. Filth? Really? What happened to bitch? Or slut! That would work as a good replacement.

Rose barely catches Dimitri's eye before he swipes the woman's hands away from him and says in his 'I'll let them down gentle so don't maim them Rose' voice, "I'm sorry but I'm really not interested…"

The blonde looks at him with her mouth slightly a gape before she bursts into a bout of obnoxious giggles. "Oh you silly!" she laughs, placing her hand flat on his shoulder before looking past him and directly into the Royal Guardian's eyes. "I don't bend that way." She purrs, sending a suggestive wink her way.

The two of them freeze. "W-what?" Dimitri coughs.

The blue eyed woman rolls her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest. "Listen, big guy, you're hot and everything and I'm sure if I were straight I would dig you, but I'm in a stage of my life where I'm just not ready for that. I'm sorry if I hurt your ego."

Rose splutters on dry air before guffawing and slapping her knee in laughter. "Ohmygawd." She laughs, a tear coming to her eye.

Dimitri just shots her a look, a hidden amusement coming forth. Rose narrows her eyes at him suspiciously before tensing when a manicured hand rests itself on her tanned forearm. "Hey there." The blonde grins.

"H-hi." Rose stammers, suddenly feeling awkward.

The blonde shoots a look over her shoulder to glance at Dimitri, "Listen, I was just gonna ask you if I could dance with this _lovely_ young lady, and show her a good time. If you know what I mean."

At this point she attempts to wrap her arms around Rose but the brunette quickly tugs Dimitri forward, making him bash heads with the blonde and dragging him over her stool. "Ow." He winces and Rose refrains from melting at the vulnerable gesture and the sweet childlike expression he contained, framed gently by the loose locks that escaped out of his pony tail.

"Sorry Comrade." She grins sheepishly, leading him away and out of the club where the blonde sat on her previous bar stool whining about a headache.

Once they stood outside, Rose stood on her tip toes to plant a soft, nurturing kiss on his forehead. Dimitri grinned at the gesture, pulling her into an embrace. A slow song played from the record store to the right of them and the two sway to the beat, their arms wrapped around each other and Rose's head tucked under Dimitri's chin.

A tiny bit of repressed spirit darkness obtained from Lissa sucks into Rose's mind and she can't help thinking that maybe she has finally found the one thing that is all hers, hers, hers and that Lissa won't, _can't _take him away from her this time. She won't let her. And inhaling Dimitri's scent to calm her down, Rose knows that should it come down to it he won't let her get away either.


	15. Uptown Funk

Thank you once again for all of your amazing reviews! You guys are awesome. OH and just to let you guys know, I post my chapters in the order I write them. So if I wrote my DPOV paint drabble before I wrote an Easter one, then DPOV's would go first, even if Easter is over by the time I get up to it (on that note I'd just like to admit I haven't actually written the paint 2 drabble yet :P And that there would still be maybe three or four drabbles before it that I've already written…). Also there are a few loose ends in this drabble here that I'll probably tidy up in a part two later on.

**Summary** Lissa's nineteenth will be a night to remember.

**POV **Third

15

Dimitri lets his smile cover his face with nothing holding him back. His heart warms and, without letting his thoughts dampen his mood, the Russian knows that this is what Ivan wanted for him. A life where he could laugh and love easily.

He held a camera in his hand, recording every moment, from Lissa and the whole of Court's reaction to Rose and Christian's ridiculous dance. Lissa had tears streaming down her face and her cheeks were a healthy rosy red from laughter and the face-splitting smile she had.

It was Lissa's nineteenth birthday. As Queen, she was expected to have a stiff, royal party where only the exclusive of the exclusive were invited. Rose would not allow that. In the middle of Lissa climbing down the stairs to greet her crowd of royal Moroi, the quite, calm music playing had stopped and the lights had turned off, except for a spotlight overhead.

And the double doors keeping everyone at bay had been opened and Moroi from all over had crowded in the room, most of them not royal, and the crowd was that of a cramped club or the amount of people when Lissa had been crowned queen.

Immediately, all of the royals had stiffened, expecting some kind of attack. But not one guardian budged. And the music had started playing.

Lissa had turned around, looked up at Dimitri in confusion from his perch with a camera up above when she couldn't find Rose, and had gasped in delight when the opening tunes of Uptown Funk had started playing.

The tears had started when Rose and Christian had strolled on stage, just the two of them, and begun the infamous dance. The crowd was in a riot, singing along to the tune.

Dimitri feels a sense of contentment and pride of his friends and his love. When Dimitri had caught Rose and Christian in the ballroom dancing to this song earlier that week, they'd dragged him in on the plan. Which was just as well, because the whole event would have failed otherwise, because every single guardian in the room except Rose would have been preparing for an attack as soon as the lights went out.

They'd spread the word among the guardians attending the event, and even the royals personal guardians had no choice but to follow along. Dimitri was sure he recognised quite a few faces in the crowd, all of Rose and Lissa's teachers at the academy being some of them.

Dimitri couldn't help but laugh out loud when Rose and Christian started dragging Lissa back up the steps in time with their choreography. When they stood at the top of the stage, Lissa tearily joined in on the dance, her moves nowhere near as choreographed as Rose and Christian's and looking especially ridiculous in her long, formal sheath dress. She was going off of her memory but the three looked like they were having the time of their lives up there, with tears running down Lissa's face (tears of upmost joy) and Christian and Rose laughing and pulling her along, sending knowing glances to each other.

Dimitri is shocked however when one of the guardians near him tap him on the shoulder and indicate for the camera. The Russian just stands there, befuddled, until the guardian laughs boisterously and gestures for him to join the trio on stage.

And as if she knew all along it would get to this, Rose connects eyes with him from her spot on the stage, beckoning him over. Dimitri laughs aloud but heads towards her nonetheless. Of course. He should've known that she was planning something like this when she made him help her and Christian practice.

Lissa's nineteenth birthday was one of great joy and was much better than her eighteenth. But Dimitri has a good feeling that the thing she would cherish most for a long time would be the five minute video of the four of them dancing to Uptown Funk, all of them in sync, except maybe him and Lissa. They looked ridiculous and the actual playback was barely audible over everyone's singing and the video quality was terrible. But it was one of the most fun filled nights any of them had ever had.


	16. Cold

Here is the next chapter my lovelies! Thank you for all of your reviews, I'm glad to know I can put a smile on your faces. :) The theme of this particular drabble came pretty easily because it's starting to get really cold where I live… so this was born :)

**Summary **It was like they controlled each other's body temperature.

**POV** Rose

16

I blearily blink my eyes open as the bed shifts. For a moment a breeze of cold passes over me before a warm comforting weight settles next to me.

"D'mitri?" I question, my sleep hazed eyes peering over my shoulder at the hunk of muscle as he adjusted himself to fit comfortably against my side.

"Hm, go back to sleep Roza." He whispers, placing a tender kiss behind my ear.

I roll over so I'm facing Dimitri's bare chest and I snuggle into him. "Mitri." I sigh, lightly tracing patterns over his abs. I feel him tense at the feather light touch and in recuperation he places a hand on my bare hip where my tank top had ridden up. The other one snakes its way around my waist and pulls me taught against him.

I place a chaste kiss on one of his pecs and he in return burrows his face in my hair. "I missed you milaya."

If possible I snuggle in even closer. "Hnn, I missed you too comrade." I yawn, hooking a leg over one of his strong claves. My foot rests on his tan leg and I stare up at him when he recoils slightly. "What?"

It's quiet for a moment before Dimitri speaks up, "Roza… Why are your feet so cold?"

I shuffle upwards until I'm eye to eye with him rather than his glorious chest. "My feet are cold?" I grin at him and it's then I notice are voices are hushed, quiet and husky.

Dimitri places a soft kiss on my nose. "Yes," he says quietly, before he starts shimmering down the bed.

I stay still, giggling quietly when he grabs my feet with both of his hands. The blanket falls off of us when Dimitri suddenly sits up and places my feet in his lap, baring the rest of our bodies to the cold.

He blows a warm breath on my feet and I wiggle my toes as he rubs his hands over them to conserve warmth.

I sit up then, keeping my feet in his lap and leaning forward to share a soft, loving kiss with him. I cup his face with both of my hands, feeling the bristle of his unshaved face. "You need to shave," I murmur against his lips.

"And you have cold feet." He retorts, tightening his grip on said appendages and placing a kiss on the corner of my mouth.

I pout at him, noticing the way his gaze flickered to my lips before refocusing on my eyes. Staring lovingly into his deep brown eyes, I reach forward and take one of his hands in mine, running my thumb over his knuckles.

I grin at him with a twinkle in my eyes. "You have cold hands comrade."

Dimitri chuckles deeply and tightens his grip on my hand. I can't help but shiver, not from the cold this time, but because of the possessive stare Dimitri has pinned on me.

He places a hand on my shoulder and gently pushes me back, hovering over my body. With my hair strewn across our pillows, I wrap my legs around him, purposefully making my feet touch the bare skin of his back.

Dimitri bites and nips at my lower lip, placing a cold hand on my increasingly warm inner thigh. "I think I know how to warm us up," he whispers against my lips huskily.

I moan in apprehension. How he spoiled me so.


	17. Zipper

Tehe thanks for all the great reviews! I have a feeling you guys will like this one ;) Although you'll probably hate me for the cliff hanger at the end. But that's why there will be a sequel C: And FYI this drabble IS set when they're still at the academy.

**Summary **He didn't know whether or not to hate the stupid zipper.

**POV **Third

17

Dimitri picks up their work out equipment, slightly out of breath. He and Rose had had an extensive work out and immediately thereafter Rose had disappeared into the locker rooms to change. She was soaked with sweat, a fact that Dimitri found hard to resist.

He had a feeling he knew what would be plaguing his dreams that night.

"Um… Dimitri?" A shy tentative voice sounds immediately behind him and the Russian almost curses aloud in surprise. You'd think just having a work out session would have made him more attuned to his senses, he thought dryly.

Placing the equipment on the ground, Dimitri turned around, crossing his arms in the process. He stared lustfully down at Rose, who had on a tight, black zip up jacket. He refused to admit, even to himself, that he crossed his arms so he would have something to do with them other than pull Rose taut against him.

Rose fidgeted slightly, a small, almost unnoticeable, blush on her cheeks. She crossed her own arms, looking more like she was hugging herself, and unknowingly pushed her breasts up. Dimitri's gaze darkened. "What is it?" he murmurs, his accent growing thick, "I thought you were… getting changed."

Rose's breathe hitches slightly and she takes an almost unnoticeable step forward, bringing her close enough to be able to feel the warmth and natural musk scent he was producing. She shifts so that her hair purposefully covers her face like a curtain.

"Um… well," she mumbles, biting her lip. Dimitri resists the urge to swoop down and take her right there. "My zip's stuck."

Dimitri finds a chuckle reverberating through his body. "You're zip is stuck?" he raised an eyebrow, hungrily staring down at said zip.

Rose fidgets, "U-um… I think you're gonna have to help me take it off." She murmurs, suddenly lifting her gaze to meet his, an electric current passing through the air when their eyes make contact.

Dimitri swallows thickly. "Why don't you just… go out there like that?"

If anything Rose's face seems to go even redder. But her voice is huskier, more alluring when she says, "Because it's cold out there."

Dimitri chuckles softly. "And?"

Rose's voice turns into a quiet, seductive whisper, "And I'm not wearing a bra."

Dimitri's breathe hitches and he slowly licks his lips, darkly noticing when Rose's eyes follow his tongue when it darts out to moisten his lips. Just thinking about the way her body would react to the cold in a situation such as that… No, Dimitri swallows thickly, now was not the best time to be thinking such things.

Their eyes meet and Dimitri slowly raises one of his hands and takes the zip into his grip from where it perched at the base of her throat. Tugging it down slowly, Dimitri is met resistance. Keeping his eyes locked on Rose, he tries it again. And again. It was stuck.

The Russian slowly reaches his other hand out and places it gently where her heart was, involuntarily feeling the swell of her breasts and the rapid beating of her heart. Putting his weight into that hand, he tugs down the zipper.

It does nothing. Rose gulps and laughs nervously, "D-dimitri, do you think maybe you should just-"

He cuts her off with the steamy look in his hazy eyes, "That I should rip it off?"

Both of their breathing becomes laboured, his word choice sending each of their minds into a little fantasy and bringing back memories of times when he really had ripped clothing off.

"Yes." Rose whispers and you can hear the ache, the need in her voice.

That was all the consent he needed. Placing both of his hands on either side of the zipper, Dimitri digs his fingers into the grooves of the jacket, before, with his muscles bulging, ripping the piece of fabric apart.

Rose's breasts burst free from the material from where they kept an incredibly tight hold on her and she snatches the piece of clothing and pulls them so that her breasts are covered. Dimitri gulps, breathing heavy. She hadn't pulled them back together in time. Dimitri had easily gotten an eyeful of her tantalisingly soft mounds.

Rose was breathing heavily also and it takes all of Dimitri's willpower not to slam her against the locker room door and have his way with her. Instead, the mentor takes a fistful of her silky locks and brings his face down to her own to place a searing hot kiss on her succulent mouth that left both of them breathless.

Rose, so close to wrapping her arms around him and letting go of the pieces of scrap covering her, nibbles on Dimitri's lower lip, and they both gasp for air when he roughly jerks them apart. Tearing his gaze away from her, because he knew if he didn't he would have a problem downstairs and very soon, Dimitri licks his lips, trying to savour the feel and taste of her lips against his.

"I'm gonna… go get changed." Rose gasped out.

Dimitri slides down the wall closest to him and his mind fills with forbidden thoughts and he can't help thinking that he wants Rose to truly go away so that he can get rid of the aching, burning need he has for her by himself. He wouldn't be surprised if he got a cold, Dimitri thinks wryly, as he reflects on the amount of cold showers he'd had recently and reflecting on the ones he knew would follow.

A small squeak fills the air and Dimitri looks up to find Rose peeking out from behind the locker room door. From what he could see of her bare shoulders, Dimitri had to guess she was naked. Well shit. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Comrade?" she speaks tentatively.

"Yes?" he sighs, running a hand through his loose hair.

"I don't have any spare clothes."


	18. Abusive

I am super happy! This fanfic has reached over 10 000 views and is close to 100 reviews! I appreciate every single one I get. You guys will be glad to know that the paint part 2 is coming up VERY soon as well!

**Summary **The word abusive is not one Rose receives well, especially not when it involved her Russian hunk.

**POV **Rose

18

We were there on a 'business trip' as the royal Moroi would put it. In reality Lissa got sick of the council and I started threatening people, so being the Queen, Lissa pulled a fast one and took us to California under the guise that she was visiting some old friends from St Vlads.

Knowing I needed to blow off some steam and that I wasn't going to do that with her stressed and the royals a few buildings over from my punching bag, Lissa brought extra guards to cover for Dimitri and I in regards to her and Christian's bodyguards. The two of them were chilling in an indoor swimming pool somewhere a few miles off while Dimitri and I had vacated to the nearest gym.

Stalking into the unisex change room, I immediately shed my guardian uniform, leaving me in a pair of boy cut underwear and a sports bra. I turn in my spot facing the wall to place a slow kiss on the corner of Dimitri's mouth, where he'd been not so discreetly shielding me from the lustful gazes of the surrounding men.

Pulling on a pair of running shorts, I notice a woman off to my left staring at me, or more accurately my body and I hope that it's not another 'swing for the other team' girls like the one from the bar a few weeks ago.

Once Dimitri then changed, we exited the room and headed towards the empty section left open for sparring. "Maybe this time I'll be able to get away from you." I give him my man eater smile, crouching into a defensive position.

We settle ourselves into the comfortable dance-like rhythm that was our sparring. We were fairly evenly matched, although I was at a slight disadvantage, not due to the obvious factors like he was a fighting god, but because Eddie had arrived in Court a few days before we'd left and I'd had an intense sparring session against him and Meredith.

I had a nasty bruise on my upper arm from when Eddie had gotten me in a lock. His grip, and the fact that I'd manoeuvred myself so that the arm he was holding took the brunt force of Meredith's blow, had caused an ugly purple swelling. There was an equally sore looking bruise on my knee where I'd accidently rammed it into one of the practice stakes when blocking an attack.

The only other bruise that seriously affected me was the one on my sternum. Eddie and Meredith had only managed to 'stake' me once but when they did it had been when I was thrashing so hard the only way it would've accurately gotten me was if they used a harsh thrust. Even through the protective padding, I'd gained a nasty bruise. That one in particular made it harder for me to breath.

Thankfully Dimitri and I were at a human gym so we weren't using stakes.

I duck in time to dodge Dimitri's blow, kicking my leg out to land against his stomach. By leaping to the side with the momentum of his failed punch, he diverted the kick so that it clipped his side instead. He swung his other arm forward and using my imbalanced body, knocked me over with a swift punch to the chest.

It brings us both to the ground and Dimitri barely reacts in time to pin me to the ground. I gasp for breath, his knock hitting the wind out of me. My already injured sternum aches in protest and Dimitri leans down, with his eyes connected to mine the whole time, and places a soft kiss there in lieu of apology.

We breathe heavily but in time with each other and he shifts slightly, placing his hands on either side of my head rather than pining me completely. I take this opportunity push his hair back, loving the way his eyes darkened in anticipation. "Easy there comrade," I purr when he starts to suck on the spot right on the edge of my jaw.

He lifts his head up and gives me a dark look before helping me stand up. We head off to the side, ignoring the awed looks coming from all of the humans in the gym. Digging through my gym bag, I produce two water bottles and turning around I hold my hand out for Dimitri to take one.

Instead of taking one however, his attention is diverted to someone tapping him on the back. I move to stand beside him as he turns to the person.

In front of us stands the same woman that had been staring at me earlier in the change rooms. "Yes?" Dimitri questions gruffly, taking a swig of the water bottle I'd offered him.

The woman purses her lips, a stone cold glare directed at my boyfriend. She takes a swift side-glance at me, her eyes softening in sympathy for a cause I was unaware of.

When Dimitri takes a moment to stop guzzling his well-deserved refreshment the woman straightens and roughly pokes Dimitri in the chest. "How dare you!" she screeches, cocking her hip arrogantly.

Before either of us can say a word, the strawberry blonde woman flails her arms dramatically, "This poor girl," here she sent me a sheltered look, "is suffering because of you!"

Dimitri opens his mouth to speak, sending me an amused glance, "I assure-"

"No! Don't even try to defend yourself!" she shrieks again. The woman roams her eyes up and down my body, her bright brown eyes regarding my bruises calculatedly. She reaches a hand out, hovering her touch over my shoulder but not actually touching me. "It's okay honey, you don't have to stay with this monster."

I feel Dimitri tense up next to me at the word and I reflexively find his hand and intertwine it with my own, giving it a hard squeeze. "I think you're mistaken." I say, my outward tone amused but a hidden warning hiding in my eyes. This woman needed to back off.

The woman shushes me, like a child would a mother, and I raise my eyebrows at her ignorant behaviour. "It's okay honey, I'm here to help you out of this abusive relationship."

I stare at her blankly. What?

Dimitri opens his mouth to speak again, his voice tight. "Excuse me-"

The woman obtains a taken aback expression and her mouth gapes open slightly. "Don't excuse me! You have obviously been abusing this woman! The signs are all there! I just saw you abusing her then! And you can't expect everyone to _not notice _the bruises and scars she has all over her body."

Here she sent me another sympathetic glance. "Don't worry, your body is still beautiful."

I see a muscle twitch in Dimitri's jaw and I raise a hand to interrupt the woman before she went on another tangent. "_Excuse me_ but whoever you are, you've got it all wrong. Any trained professional could tell you that what we were doing just then was _sparring_. And my _loving, caring, overprotective _boyfriend has just as many bruises and scars on his body, some of which he's gotten from our sparring sessions. So not only are you sexist, thinking that because I'm the girl it would mean I'm the victim, you are an unobservant bitch who doesn't recognise a man in love."

The blonde stares at me, her eyes wide. I grin snarkily, "That's your cue to fuck off." I say, immediately afterwards pulling Dimitri down for a passionate, searing kiss that left us both breathless and made my heart explode with heat, the sensation doubling when he slowly started rubbing his thumb up and down my bare waist from his hold on my hips.

At this the woman huffs loudly before storming off and out of the gym. I turn to face my boyfriend, wrapping my arms around him. He placed his hands on the small of my back before nuzzling his head in my hair.

"Mitri?" My voice is muffled by his sexy sweat laden black T-shirt.

I feel him let out a deep sigh. "Yes my Roza?" his reply is quiet, not like his usual one. I frown and pull away from him before grabbing our stuff and tromping out the gym. Dimitri follows me loyally and I don't stop until we reach a large oak tree in a nearby park.

Dropping our stuff with a 'thunk' on the fresh cut grass, I turn around and leap into Dimitri's arms for a hug. His arms immediately wrap around me. I'd jumped onto him high enough so that I could wrap my legs around his waist and so that he held me up high enough that he had to look up at me.

Using my hair as a curtain between us, I lean down slightly to rest our foreheads together. "You are not a monster." I immediately whisper. "You are the bravest, strongest man I know who would never let me get hurt, or let your family get hurt by your father."

Dimitri's eyes soften at my words but nonetheless he averts his gaze. "You always know what I'm thinking, don't you Roza?"

I don't say anything, instead bringing one of my hands up from where they were wrapped around his neck and cupping one of his cheeks with it. I feel the tiny hairs pricking me, proof of his forgetfulness to shave that morning.

Dimitri smiles softly at my gesture, a hidden guilt wracked in his beautiful brown eyes. "What kind of boyfriend am I supposed to be?" he whispers huskily, "She's right. I'm always hurting you and-" Dimitri chokes on his words slightly.

I nip at his bottom lip in retribution. "Shut up comrade. If you're talking about our sparring then you're being ridiculous. Without you I'd be dead a long time ago."

Dimitri sighs gently, boring his eyes into mine, "I don't like to hurt you. I don't like it when other people hurt you. Even if it's just sparring."

I take this opportunity to indulge in a long, slow tantalising kiss with my beau before making my way down to his neck where I bit gently, kissing and sucking at it to form a hickey. After a strangled moan from him, I lift my gaze to his and say, "They're love bites. Love taps. Love makes me grow stronger, remember?"

Dimitri lets out a loose, reverberating chuckle, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Oh milaya. You always know how to make me feel good, don't you?" There's an underlying hint in the edge of his accent, one that makes me squirm and find my position in his arms not compromising enough.

Biting my lip lightly, I watch his eyes grow dark as they stare at the action. My heart starts beating faster and in a light, husky whisper I reply, "I love making you feel good." Before long, my lips are attacked by my handsome Russian.

Dimitri and I know what an abusive relationship is. And although there are some out there who would classify ours as an abusive one, it didn't matter. I would either break their nose or tell them to fuck off before it would make a difference.


	19. Paint Brush

Here it is. The long awaited paint pt 2! Titled Paint Brush but still, you get the idea! Thank you all for your amazing reviews, I had a feeling you would like last chapter. I know I do. It's probably one of my favourites. Then again, that could also be due to the fact that it's almost 2 000 words long… The longest one so far. (Also congrats to lunicorn who is my 100th reviewer!~)

**Summary **Their lovey-doveyness probably would have killed Sydney had she stayed in the room any longer.

**POV** Dimitri

19

Rose lets out a seductive laugh as I nibble on her ear lobe gently. "Hello comrade." She grins goofily.

I just shoot her a flirty smirk, one I'd learned long ago only existed in her presence. "Hello my Roza. Nice nap?"

Rose places a kiss on my nose chastely, rolling over and sitting up in time. I sit up after her, dragging her by her tanned legs into an embrace. I breathe in deeply but at the scent that reaches my nose I almost gag. Paint penetrated my senses, blocking the scent I adored most. "We should finish painting, shouldn't we?" I mumble into her hair.

"Probably."

With a sigh, I stand up, pulling Rose up with me. She shrieks slightly and stumbles forward at the unexpected motion, and her weight jerking forward in my arms is enough for us to both go tumbling to the floor. I shift us mid-air so Rose lands on top of me.

Rose gives me a wicked smirk and reaches forward for something just behind my head. Immediately I notice the wet paintbrush in her hands and I jerk to the left slightly, letting out a laugh. I groan however when a wet, sticky substance clings to me through my jeans, thoroughly soaking them.

Rose laughs along with me and grabs a fistful of my hair, involuntarily letting a few strands get wet with the paint on her wrist, before slowly trailing her other hand on a downward path towards the zipper on my jeans.

My laughter dies out slowly at the sensual feeling her touch has on me and it's not long before my paint soaked jeans are off, leaving me in a pair of briefs.

"You know what Roza?" I mumble, sitting up and almost launching her off her perch on my chest. Instead gravity pulls her down onto my lap where she straddles me.

"What?" she murmurs back, focused on drawing circles on my back and involuntarily flaking away at the large 'R' I knew was painted there mere hours before Sydney's abrupt arrival and departure.

I hide my smile in her neck, nuzzling into the smooth skin. My fingers ever so slowly crawl to the paint brush she'd discarded behind us, it still wet and dripping in oceanic blue. It takes only a second for me to push her onto her back with her hands held overhead by one of my own. I press my full weight on her, knowing if she tried she'd most likely be able to get away.

"Stay still milaya." I chastise gently when she wriggles against my chest, sending electric currents through the both of us where our naked skin touched.

Rose lets out a slow gasp when she feels the bristles of the wet paint brush touch the ample space on her chest given by the too-small bikini. I make sure to be tantalisingly slow as I depict a large 'D' there to match the slightly flaky 'R' on my back.

"Geez comrade," Rose pants slightly, "If you wanted me that badly you could've just said so."

I give her a smile, a predatory gleam present in my eyes and I lean forward to capture her lips in mine. The room still smells of paint, and it is a scent that will burn our nostrils forever, but paint is definitely one tool I would be fine to use to show that Rose belonged to me. Oh yes, I smirk into our fierce lip lock, I would be completely fine with that.


	20. Rosemarie

Thank you for all of your fantabulous reviews once again~ I hope you guys like this one! (BTW you should definitely be looking forward to chapter 21!)

**Summary **What Mason thinks of her full name throughout the years.

**POV** Third

20

Mason hates it when people call her Rosemarie.

When they first met, him and Eddie and Rose, she introduced herself as Rose. So to five year old Mason, that was her name. Calling Rose Rosemarie was like calling Eddie Edison. You just didn't do it. Which is why Mason was the one to hand her the book that she threw at their teacher for trying to force her to write her full name.

To ten year old Mason, her name was still just Rose. It was around that age that she became especially intolerable to people who called her by her full name, probably because it was around that age she finally started thinking her mother was a heartless bitch. She hated that her mother called her Rosemarie. It gave her even more fuel to hate her name. Which was why Mason had nodded along to her rants and given her his last piece of chocolate.

To fifteen year old Mason her name wasn't just Rose. It meant a lot of things he didn't entirely understand, but he knew it meant his palms sweated whenever he talked to her and his mouth went dry and he either didn't know what to say to her or said too much to begin with whenever he was caught alone with her and no one else around to act as a buffer. Yet he seemed to cherish those moments even more and the name Rose took on a whole new meaning.

At that age the name 'Rosemarie' was something that caused tears and her heart to stop in pain and fear. The name 'Rosemarie' was after all what Mr and Mrs Dragomir insisted on calling her, stating that she had such a beautiful name for a reason. It was the name Andre would poke fun at, the name that would never be said on their lips again. Which was why Mason had given her a hug and tried not to be too hurt when she left the academy not long after.

And now, at the age where Mason would have been twenty, Rose meant his world. And Rosemarie? That meant what it wasn't supposed to, a name that was too long and too boring, frankly, to symbolise the strength and wholeness that was Rose Hathaway. He watched her from the land after death, scowling down at the royal she was struggling to resist throwing a book at. It was achingly familiar, as this woman insisted upon embroidering Rosemarie on the pillow cushion rather than Rose.

If he were there he knows he would have just staked the stupid pink (pink? Who do they think Rose is? Right. They think she is Rosemarie) cushion. It wasn't worth the flustered look his favourite girl had. Eddie walks in then and takes one look at the situation before struggling to retain a laugh. His face goes pale however when Rose shows him the sickly green coloured cushion with Edison embroidered there.

Rose smirks at him smugly and Mason watches from above as Eddie tries to placate the Moroi into writing Rose and Eddie on the next pillows. He only succeeds when Lissa comes in and laughs at the absurdness of 'Edison' and 'Rosemarie'. The queen's insight immediately causes the Moroi to start on their pillows all over again.

Mason shakes his head, slightly exasperated but mostly just sad. This time he can't give her anything. Not in another five years' time, when the name 'Rosemarie' means something different, or in the next, or the one after that. He guess he'll just have to trust good old Edison to do that for him.


	21. Underwear

Thank you for all of your amazing reviews! Here is the long awaited sequel to chapter 17, Zipper! I rather like this one, so I hope you guys do too ;)

**Summary **Dimitri swears she does all of these things to torture him.

**POV **Dimitri

21

My heart beats wildly and my mouth goes dry. "W-what?"

From her spot poking her head around the door, Rose lets out a little huff before giving me an impatient look. "I don't have any spare clothes Dimitri."

I gulp loudly and run my hands through my hair in agitation. "I see."

Rose lets out a loose breath slowly. "I need you to go get me some clothes."

My breath hitches and I stare over at the seventeen year old. "Can't you just… Wear my duster?"

I feel the blush seeping over my face. That was what Rose did to me. She made me lose control of not only my actions, but of my words. I heave in a shuddering breath. The thought of a naked Rose wrapped up in only my duster sent shivers done my spine.

Glancing over at Rose, I notice her step out of the changing room and her bare shoulders and long naked legs are clear to me, even as a voice in the back of my mind whispers that she is in fact wearing a tiny towel to cover her essentials. With a heavy look, I refrain from standing up. If I did, who knows what new levels Roza and I would go to.

Rose shifts slightly, not in the least bit awkward standing in front of me in only a towel, and wraps a piece of her wet hair around her finger. Water dripped down her neck and slid down ever so slowly until it disappeared down the valley of her breasts. I watch its movement, enraptured.

Glancing back up at her face, I notice the blush and heady look on Rose's face. Maybe she was more affected than I thought. "I can't wear just your duster Dimitri. It's snowing out there and it's the only protection against the cold you have, as well as the fact people are going to be suspicious if I walk around in just your duster."

I sigh deeply before standing up. "Is there anything," I gulp, "Particular you would like?"

Rose shrugs lightly, seemingly unaware that the action loosens the hold her towel has on her curvaceous body. "A bra would be nice."

I lick my lips slowly before nodding. "I'll be right back."

Marching out of the gym, I can't help but walk extra silent and cautiously on my way over to Rose's dorm. Thankfully when I reach there no one questions my appearance and I stealthily slip inside her room.

What I find isn't a complete surprise. It's relatively clean besides the mess of papers and books on her desk and I avert my gaze when I notice a lacy bra and panties set hanging on the corner of her full length mirror.

Gulping heavily I slowly walk over to her Chester draws. I go from the bottom draw first and at the wrinkled mess crammed in there, I barely resist the urge to neatly fold each article of clothing. Taking in a deep breath, I pull out a pair of yoga pants and the tight black tank top that showed a little bit of Rose's midriff and always rode up whenever we sparred.

I almost force myself to put it back, my perverted thoughts making my chivalrous side cringe yet pant in need. In compensation I grab one of Rose's jackets. I can't help noticing that my hands shake as I rise from my crouch in front of the lowest draw. My eyes fixate themselves on the top draw, the one that almost all girls are notorious for using as their underwear draw.

I slide the draw open and swallow heavily when I notice the lacy bras and underwear. Some were sports bras and my hand twitches for those but something in the back of my mind stops me and instead I shuffle through the undergarments until I come across the blackest, laciest and to be frank, sexiest bra that Rose owned. I'm quick to find the matching panties, not actually knowing if she'd need those but not really caring anyway.

I let out a deep shuddering breath and fall back to sit on Rose's bed, just staring down at the clothing in my hands. My traitorous mind conjured what she would look like in the bra and panties set and I feel the blood rushing down to my lower regions. I stand up abruptly and run a shaking hand through my hair. I was a pig.

Before I know it I'm entering the gym, where I find Rose sitting down against the wall in the spot I'd occupied previously. Her knees her drawn to her chest and I hungrily eye where the hem of the towel exposed her thighs. "Roza." I whisper huskily. The noise echoes through the gym and she glances up at me, licking her lips at the possessive stare I had pinned her down with.

She stands up, scrambling to keep her towel cinched around her magnificent body. We take slow, tantalising steps towards each other, like we're in a dance, and we only stop when I can feel Rose's breasts brush against my chest at each erratic inhale and exhale.

I can't help but slide my hand into her wet locks. "Here." I all but whisper, handing her the clothes she needed.

I gulp before letting out a loud exhale and stepping away from her as soon as she took the clothes out of my hands. Gripping my head with both hands I let out a small, sarcastic chuckle. "Look at what you do to me Roza." I groan in frustration.

Rose stares at me, holding the clothes to her chest like a lifeline. She all but skips towards me before giving me a slow, sweet kiss that she pulled away from as soon as I crushed her body to mine. Spinning out of my grasp, Rose sashayed over to the locker room and sent me a sultry look, letting the towel drop a second before she entered the other room. It gave me a split second to see her naked back side, an image that would be ingrained in my memory for a long time.

"Oh and Dimitri?" Rose called out.

"Yes?" I groan.

"I love the bra and panties. You chose my favourite pair."

I swear in Russian before storming into the male's locker room, Rose's laughter echoing in my ears as I roughly turn on the cold shower knob. She would be the death of me, I groan, feeling the freezing water pellet against my suddenly over sensitive skin.


	22. Easter

Here's the next chapter! Thanks for all your great reviews :) Okay, although it's a little late :P, here's the Easter prompt suggested by BethIsMyName, so it goes out to you and yunacarman (this is the one I was telling you about ;) ).

**Summary** These Moroi were getting dumber and dumber. It should have been obvious she had 6'7 giant buying her chocolate a few aisles over.

**POV **Third

22

She stands there examining the different types of cereal. She wanted Milo cereal. But it was at the top. Furrowing her brows with a small, reflexive pout, Rose stretches on her tip toes in an attempt to reach the packaged food. With a groan of frustration she jumps up, her fingers barely skimming the shelf, let alone the actual food.

Dammit, this is when she needed Dimitri. Who puts such a popular cereal so high up anyway? Not everyone had giant boyfriends like her. He was kind of useless right now though, even if he was only a few aisles over getting her some chocolate. He'd like to think she didn't know what he was doing but to be frank Dimitri loved giving her little surprises. He was actually quite obvious this time.

Dimitri had been suspiciously excited about doing their regular shopping trip, as well as the fact he'd tried to find any excuse to disappear for a few minutes. And it was Easter. If Dimitri was going to get her anything on Easter, it certainly wasn't going to be some new lip gloss. And while she'd chosen not to mention it to him, Rose had found his little stash of money a few days ago. It had been placed in the spot Rose liked to call his saving space.

A pale hand unfamiliar to Rose reached up behind her and just barely grabbed onto the cereal. Turning around, Rose blinked, surprised, when the Moroi handed her food to her. "Is that what you wanted shortcake?"

Rose scowled at the Moroi, who had a charming smile in place. She was not short. "Thanks," she growled forcefully, "But I'm not short."

The man's smile grows and the guardian can't help but wish his smile had a dimmer. It was too bright for this early in the morning. "You wouldn't hurt me."

Rose suddenly feels transfixed on his eyes. Why would she hurt him? Of course not. "I… I might." She grounds out, the effort it took to say that causing a mild headache. The Moroi places a casual hand on her shoulder, making Rose want to jerk out of his line of sight. But she doesn't. Her body stays rooted to the spot.

"You want to kiss me. And you should act on those impulses honeybee."

Rose gasps, blinking her eyes fiercely. Gritting her teeth Rose says, "You… You can't compulse me you… sicko."

The Moroi's grin turns malicious and Rose, unnoticed by the man, slowly raises the box in her hand. She was going to take this man down with her favourite cereal if she had to god dammit. "Maybe not alone." He purrs. Rose takes a step back, breaking her gaze from the lanky man but her body is forced to a stop when three more Moroi surround her, trapping her against the shelf.

When one grasps her face in both hands she slaps him in the face with her cereal. He gasps, bringing a hand up to stop the bleeding the corner of the food container had caused. It was shallow, but it was something. "Bitch," one of them hissed and all of a sudden Rose's senses are overwhelmed and she's being commanded to kiss them.

She closes her eyes shut tight, the rest of her body nonresponsive. She didn't budge from her spot, unable to control her body enough to uppercut these sons of a bitches.

She notices him a split second before they do, by the lovely aftershave he'd put on just that morning. Rose opens her eyes in time to witness Dimitri swing a swift punch to the one closest to him. "Don't fucking touch her," he roars.

As Dimitri swiftly takes each unguarded Moroi out one by one, Rose feels her muscles relax and she drops her breakfast shakily. Her Russian panted gently in the middle of a circle of bodies all piled up around his feet.

One still lay semi-conscious and Dimitri strode over to him, bending down to his level and looking him in the eye. His voice is quiet, deadly. "Do not even think of touching my Roza again."

Dimitri snapped his head up sharply when he heard Rose's loose exhale. His face is stormy and Rose can already feel his guardian mask slip into place. His default emotion when there were too many floating around in his head. It disappeared however when he marched purposefully towards his beau and then there was only a fierce over-protectiveness.

He crushes her to his chest, hugging her as close as humanely possible. "You scared me Roza." He whispers breathily into her hair.

Rose wraps her arms around him in turn, burrowing her head into his chest. Inhaling his scent deeply, she replied, "I wasn't scared. You'd never let anything happen to me. Besides," Dimitri can feel her smirking, "I probably would've completely knocked over the shelf behind me way before I gave in to their compulsion. No way was I kissing their sorry mouths."

Dimitri tenses. "They were trying to compulse you to _kiss_ them?"

Rose tilts her head to look up at him and notices his expression has gone stormy with rage once more. "Don't worry comrade. You already kicked their asses physically, now Lissa can kick their asses into jail."

With his expression still stormy, Dimitri growls, "You are mine. I won't let them taste you." Before crushing his mouth to hers. Rose moans into the kiss, causing Dimitri to growl in satisfaction. The sound reverberates through their bodies, making Rose mewl in pleasure.

A loud thunk echoes throughout the hallway and the couple pull away, gasping for breath, before turning to the source of noise. There stood a spotty teenage boy, staring down the mess of the aisle in shock. He wore the supermarket's employee uniform.

Rose intertwines her hand with Dimitri's, well aware of the glare he had fixated on the quivering Moroi. "Aha, you see, we can explain." She grins sheepishly.


	23. Marley and Me

Ahh sorry I haven't been able to update for a while! You see, I'm sick :'( And I have two essay's due in this week T.T Either way, here's some nice Romitri fluffiness!

**Summary **He never figured a book would make Roza cry.

**POV **Third

23

Rose shovelled a mouthful of the slowly melting goodness into her mouth. "Cold," she winced around a mouthful of the gooey dairy.

Dimitri eyed her curiously from his spot in the doorway. "What are you eating Roza?" he questioned, padding over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of briefs and some thick, fuzzy sweatpants that he knew Rose loved to steal when he wasn't looking. Even though they were his best pair, he didn't really mind. Her wearing them just bathed the clothing in her delectable scent.

"Ice-cream and hot chocolate," she warbled before taking a loud, purposeful slurp of the beverage that lay by her side. "Ouch!" she cursed softly.

Dimitri turned to face her, abandoning his clothing on the dresser and heading over to her, his grip on the long towel around his waist still firm. He ambled over to her cross-legged position in the centre of the bed, sitting down in front of her and involuntarily causing the sheets to go damp from the towel that had absorbed all of the shower water off of Dimitri's sleek body.

"Be careful Roza," he admonished gently, his brown orbs gentle and caring as he gently pried the too-hot beverage from her grasp. A cool breeze seemed to flutter about the room, causing Rose and Dimitri to shiver in time. After putting the hot chocolate on their bedside table, Dimitri reached for the bowl of vanilla ice-cream clenched tightly in her lap.

"It's winter," he raised an eyebrow at her, "And yet you're eating ice cream?"

Placing the ice cream next to the hot chocolate, Dimitri takes notice of her short laden legs and the space on her inner thighs where the cold bowl had touched, undoubtedly chilling them. A smooth current of ice cream had overflowed onto her leg, leaving the glob to melt with Rose's body heat.

He reached out, wiping the blob of dessert away with his thumb. "You're a mess," he smiles fondly.

Rose let out a huff and Dimitri only then notices her blotchy cheeks and suspiciously red nose. "Shut up comrade."

He frowns gently, reaching out and drawing smooth circles on the pinched skin of her face, the crusty saltiness from a tear trail evident under his thumb. "Are you alright Roza?"

Rose lets in a shaky breath before swiftly wiping at her eyes. "It's nothing," she mumbled, her cheeks blooming in a gentle blush.

His frown deepens, "Roza…" he says warningly.

Rose bites her lip, avoiding his gaze as more tears well up in her beautiful eyes. Finally meeting his gaze Rose hiccups slightly, "I-it's just… Why did," she sniffs and Dimitri places his forehead against hers lovingly, "Why did Marley have to die!? He wa-was such an amazing a-animal!"

As Rose lets out a wail and scoots closer by planting herself in his lap and burrowing her head into his shoulder, Dimitri frowns. Glancing around their bed for evidence of why the hell Rose was so upset, Dimitri finds a paperback book titled 'Marley and Me' with the picture of a Labrador puppy embellished on the cover.

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean…" Dimitri pronounces carefully, slowly. Rose's crying slowly fades and with an internal sigh of relief, the Russian is glad to find all of a sudden the wet feeling on his shoulder was from his hair, curled slightly from his shower, rather than from her tears.

A slow, bubbling laughter surrounds the room and Rose pulls back to look him in the eyes. It takes a while for her laughter to subside and the adorably befuddled expression on his face seemed to fuel her amusement even more. "Oh comrade," she grinned, placing a kiss on the tip of his nose.

Rose slowly climbed off of his lap, leaning over the side and pouring a generous amount of chocolate sauce onto her ice cream from the bottle laying conveniently on the bedside table. Dimitri raised an eyebrow, unwilling to admit his confusion.

Taking a glance back at him quickly, Rose let out another laugh before scooping a spoonful of dessert into her mouth and washing it down with a gulp of the slightly cooler hot chocolate. She grimaced slightly at the rapid change of temperature occurring in her mouth.

Dimitri stood up warily, placing a kiss on the top of Rose's head before heading back over to the dresser, letting his towel drop on the way there. Bending down to pull his underwear on, he pauses when Rose lets out a little, "Oh Dimitri~" in a lilting voice.

He looks over his shoulder at her, still suspended in his position bent over. "Yes Rose?"

Dimitri receives a man eater smile crossed with a devilish smirk before Rose lifts the chocolate sauce into the air. A small droplet escapes from the opened bottle held high over Rose's head and lands on her thigh, in the exact position the vanilla ice cream had once occupied. "I think I know how you can make me feel better comrade."

Dimitri immediately drops his undergarments before stalking over to her. Throughout the rest of their night of love making, the book that made his Roza cry, eventually gets pushed off the bed. And while he thanks it for involuntarily getting him some action, he has to say he can't say he was particularly upset when their experimental night thereafter somehow managed to get the book soaked in chocolate sauce and plastered with ice-cream.

The next week Lissa tries to get Dimitri to read Marley and Me. She is utterly confused when he takes one look at the book outstretched for him to take and blushes. She didn't think she'd ever seen Dimitri blush, let alone blush over a _book._

I got this inspiration while I was eating ice-cream with a cup of hot chocolate :P And I dunno about you guys… but I was absolutely bawling when I read that book… I haven't read it in ages and I haven't seen the movie but *shrugs shoulders* Ya get inspiration from the strangest things after all!


	24. Belikov

Heeellooo! Thank you for all of your amazing reviews once more ;) I'll probably be putting a sequel of sorts up for this.

**Summary **They needed to hurry up and seal the deal before someone stole his Roza from him.

**POV** Third

24

Paul peeked around the corner of the wall, watching his Aunt (technically she wasn't yet) Roza with a blush on his face. Her back was to him as she faced the Belikov's massive backyard.

"What is it Paul?" his aunt's smooth, amused voice called him out. The ten year old almost yelped in surprise at her perceptiveness before he meekly headed towards her, sitting down next to the brunette when she patted the spot next to her.

"Are you gonna marry Uncle Dimka?" he blurted out, resisting the urge to burrow his face in his hands, a nervous habit of his.

Rose let out a small laugh before mumbling something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I just can't catch a break in this house can I?' Paul frowned at that and scooted closer, placing a hand on her knee in comfort like he saw his Uncle Dimka do whenever someone was upset.

"I dunno Paul." She eventually answers.

Paul tilts his head in confusion, a frown still evident on his cherub face. "Don't you love Uncle Dimka?"

"Of course I do!"

"Can you pretty please marry him Auntie Roza?" Paul tried to pull his best puppy dog face, "I really, really, _really _want you to be a Belikov!"

The ten year old cheers in victory inside his head when he notices the tell-tale signs that assured him his victim had given in. It was a look his Auntie Vika had whenever he used the puppy dog face. "I think I want to be a Belikov too Paul. Just… not yet. I'm not ready to be married to your Uncle Dimka just yet."

Paul tried to hide the look of disappointment that overcame him. He sparks up as an idea comes to mind however. Standing up positioning himself in front of Rose, Paul steels himself with determination. He knew the perfect way for his dreams to come true. With a small blush he grins. Both of his dreams.

"I'll marry you then Aunt Roza!"

Paul expects her to immediately jump up and hug him for his valiant idea. He is not prepared for the slack jawed expression and twitching eyebrow that hints at supressed laughter. "I don't think so Paul."

He frowns, crossing his arms over his chest the way he'd seen Uncle Dimka do whenever he was being authorative, "Why not?"

A deep chuckle resounds above the pairs heads and Paul glances up to see his uncle, standing there behind Rose with his arms crossed, mimicking his own position. "I agree with Rose on this one Paul."

Paul scrunches his face up, furrowing his eyebrows. "But Uncle Dimka, Auntie Rose doesn't want to marry _you_," the ten year old vaguely notices the subtle flinch his uncle obtains at his words, "But she really, really, _really _wants to be a Belikov!" He stretches his arms out as far as he can to emphasize how much.

Suddenly feeling shy, Paul drills his stare into the ground, rocking back and forth on his heels. "And that way I can have Roza to myself."

Glancing up quickly at the stunned silence, Paul is met with warm brown eyes of another family heritage. "Sorry Paul," she grins softly, reaching out and ruffling his hair gently, "But you're gonna have to fight Uncle Dimka for that privilege."

Paul tightens his jaw and widens his stance determinedly. Nodding his head squarely, he caught Dimitri's amused gaze. "Fine! I'll beat Uncle Dimka easy!"

A choked silence follows his bold statement and Paul waits anxiously for his only uncle to make the first move. Rose's exuberant laughter distracts him, causing Paul to blush in embarrassment.

"C-c'mon, Uncle Dimka! L-let's go fight in the backyard!"

Hoping off the porch, Paul waits expectantly in the middle of the yard for his love rival to join him. He enviously watches as his crush and uncle exchange a few words before the only other male Belikov joins him in the dewy grass. "Ok Paul," Dimitri chuckles, pushing his loose hair back the way Roza always liked to do for him, "Let's do this."


	25. Normal

Thank you for all of your amazing reviews! I got quite a lot last chapter! Everyone seems to love Paul ;) I know I do. I have quite a lot of one-shots with him planned. I hope you enjoy this chapter ;) It's just a little fluffy piece, nothing too much.

**Summary **Normal was boring. Normal was plain. Not for them it wasn't.

**POV **Third

25

He watched in fascination as she twirled in the sunlight, the love in his warm, gentle brown eyes as bright and clear as a summer's day. She wore a beautiful white, flowing sundress, one his family had made specifically for her.

It looked beautiful on her, with its simple thin straps and fluttering skirt. There were no beads or extra adornments, making it look classic and timeless. With a warm laugh, Dimitri smiled largely as he watched his Roza from his spot standing a few feet away from the large oak tree she danced under.

He probably looked like a fool to any of the other occupants in the park, staring after the girl with the too-wide smile and the too-loud laugh as she jumped from place to place under the tree that hardly shaded her from the barely filtered sunlight.

"Come on Dimitri!" she beckoned, smiling widely at him as she came to an abrupt halt, the action causing her still twirling skirt to fan out around her in seemingly slow motion.

In response he finally willed his awe struck limbs to move, trudging in large strides over to his other half. He had a large wicker picnic basket clasped firmly in one hand. Placing the food filled basket down in a patch of sunshine, Dimitri turned to face his Roza, unconsciously rolling the sleeves of his crisp white button up to his elbows.

Rose pouted mockingly, "Comrade I feel so underdressed. I mean I love this dress and all-"

Dimitri cut her off with a chuckle and a hand placed on her waist. "You said we could dress each other and this is what we chose."

Rose huffs out a sigh, trying in vain to hide a slowly blooming smile. "Who would've thought _the _Dimitri Belikov would want to do something as awfully couple-y as picking our clothes out for each other."

Dimitri just rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair, held back by an elastic. Rose, noticing the slight twitch of his hand, laced one of her own through his calloused hand and reached the other one up to toy loosely with the strands that had managed to free themselves and gently frame his face.

The fresh, clean cut scent of his aftershave overwhelmed Rose and she sucked in a deep breath, inhaling his scent, and leaned her head against his chest. She curled their intertwined hands upwards and cradled them to her chest, relishing in the soothing gesture of his thumb running patterns over her knuckles.

She loved days like this, where they could act like a normal couple and where Rose could really act like a girlfriend, wearing the pretty dress (although she doubted the dresses the stereotypical woman in relationships wore were hand crafted by _their _significant other's family, a strange thought that brought her mirth) and having the perfect date with the clichéd picnic and everything. The only thing that hadn't been overwhelmingly _normal_ would probably be the fact that Dimitri had neglected to give her a gift of some sorts.

(It was their anniversary though and Rose didn't need to check the picnic basket to know that the present Dimitri had gotten for her was still there.)

Even the pure love floating about the atmosphere was classic and clichéd and perfect like it is for _normal _couples and Rose feels her hurt burst with the fiery, heart wrenching love that only came forth when she thought about or was with Dimitri Belikov. She loved him in the best most normal (a voice tells her nothing about their love is _normal, _their love was like one from a fairy tale. One that only movies depicted as normal, but that is the only normal she knows of because no one around her lives normally so she counts it) way possible.

Most people would cringe away at the thought of having a normal relationship (normal was boring after all) but most people don't classify normal as what Rose and Dimitri have, they classify that as the dream relationship. But it is what is normal for them and Rose has never loved normal so much until now.


	26. Sleep

Thank you for all of your amazazing reviews ;) This one here was written when I myself had been awake for just as long as our favourite couple. Enjoy!

**Summary **The only reason Hans decided not to go too was so he didn't get yelled at by an exhausted Rose.

**POV **Rose

26

I blinked wearily, paying an overwhelming amount of time concentrating on making sure my eyelids didn't stay closed for more than a few seconds. The burning, itching feeling behind my eyes makes me blink excessively.

I rub my temple in a lame attempt at soothing the ever present throb caused by no sleep and no food. "Dimitri…" I groaned, boring holes into one of the dhampir cars parked in front of us. He doesn't answer obviously, and his presence in the car (or lack thereof) is disconcerting. I hadn't had any sleep in the past day or two. It was not a nice feeling. And with Dimitri, who was equally tired, out getting us food, I had to concentrate especially hard not to collapse from exhaustion.

The car door opens, breaking the oppressive silence. A tall, Russian man slipped into the vehicle, brandishing a glorious familiar brown greasy bag with a familiar bright yellow symbol on the front. "Macdonalds," Dimitri smiles at me softly, running a hand through his hair.

I snatch the bag from him, immediately pulling out the first thing my hands come into contact with. A mcmuffin. Frantically I unwrap the food, throwing out a sarcastic comment when I hear Dimitri chuckle at my initiative. Taking a deep breath, I sink my teeth into the breakfast food, moaning at the glorious taste that exploded in my mouth thereafter.

I take my time to eat the food, not quite caring when Dimitri finishes his first and chooses to watch me eat afterwards. We both needed something to focus on if we wanted to stay awake. To be truthful, I couldn't give a rat's ass whether we fell asleep anymore.

Earlier on, so that we could take the rare opportunity we had, Dimitri and I had been forced to stay up all night so that we could adapt to the human's daytime schedule. And now, at twelve o'clock the night after our fabulous daytime date, we'd been called into work for a stake out. Which is the most bullshit excuse Hans could ever pull out of his ass. It was our day off. We were supposed to be asleep right now, on human's schedule, so that we would be in the right set of mind for whatever queenly activity Lissa wanted us doing the next morning.

Taking a long purposeful sip of my coke, I not-so-discreetly peer at Dimitri from the corner of my eye. He had bags under his eyes and looked exhausted. I couldn't blame him. We'd tried everything to keep awake. Even sex hadn't help, which, looking back on it now, probably wasn't the smartest way to get energised considering the amount of energy we spend on each other.

Dimitri gives a small tired smile at me and leans across the car console to place a chaste kiss on my forehead. Oh what I would do right now to be cuddling him in bed right now. He was the best pillow. I didn't even need a bed or a blanket or anything. Dimitri was like an all-in-one package deal.

As if noticing the way my eyelids drooped at my tantalising thoughts, Dimitri places a gentle kiss over each of my eyelids before cupping both sides of my cheeks and forcing me to look into his worn chocolate eyes. "Stay awake Roza." He mumbles.

I let out a loose breath, causing a few strands of Dimitri's hair to blow about his face. I reach out and gently rub a strand of the silky locks, wishing I could make my hair that soft. I would swear Dimitri is telepathic, the next words coming out of his mouth only surprising me slightly. "Your hair is so beautiful…"

His words are drowsy and I notice the way his eyelids flutter rapidly to keep himself awake. "Ya know comrade." I resist a yawn, "If we had to kill Strigoi right now, hell just driving home right now, that would kill us. A few winks never hurt anyone no?"

It's this point where the both of us know we have reached our maxed out point, because he gives me a nod. If we weren't about to collapse I know we would have thought sleeping on the job would be a completely idiotic move. But we would literally be useless if we had to fight Strigoi right now.

Screw that thought, if we had to fight Strigoi I knew our adrenaline would kick in. But there were countless guardians here who could do the job too. I would say they could do it just as well but frankly… Dimitri and I were the most skilled guardians there. Hans hadn't even deemed himself worthy to grace our stake out with his presence.

Because of course, as soon as the spot's open, the God and Goddess duo have to handle it, the exhausted guardians. Not the free man. Ugh. But the point was that if we got ambushed, neither of us would be expecting it. Everyone out there was relying on us yet with us as leaders for this mission, the whole team were practically like sitting ducks. We weren't on high alert, we didn't _care _that we weren't on high alert and really, I didn't know how Hans had become Head Guardian if he made rash decisions like this.

Scrunching up our rubbish and shoving it back into the bag, I clicked open the door. Dimitri's eyes flared open at the noise and he opened his side of the car and got out as well. As I strode towards where our second-in-commands where, who had twice as much experience as both Dimitri and I combined, I could feel him trailing close behind me like a shadow.

Reaching the van filled with high tech surveillance gear, the van we really should have been using ourselves rather than pawning off to our second-in commands, I harshly threw open the door, not quite caring when it risks me getting stabbed with a stake by one of the more hyped up guardians sitting in the back.

"Guardian Smith," I ground out, throwing a glare at the guardian whose stake I'd just dodged. From the low growling behind me, I could tell Dimitri was pretty pissed off at having to bring himself to move fast enough to dodge as well.

"Yes Guardian Hathaway?"

I let out an exaggerated sigh, "While I realise this is 'irresponsible' it was also irresponsible to put us on this mission. Guardian Belikov and I are about to drop dead on our feet. We have important guard duties with the queen and her consort in six hours and we haven't slept for almost twenty eight hours. I think it's not such a bad idea to hand this mission over to you, don't you think?"

"But what about Guardian Croft-"

"He can go shove a stake up his ass."

With that, I swivelled on my feet and grabbed Dimitri's hand, pulling him after me. He gladly complied. I hear chuckling from behind me and one of the less experienced guardians seemed to be protesting at my abrupt departure. "She can't just leave like that!"

Guardian Smith let out an especially loud laugh, "Boy, they are the most passionate guardians you will ever see. If they say they haven't had sleep in twenty eight hours, they haven't had sleep in twenty eight hours."

"Erm… but haven't you heard the rumours?"

"What rumours?"

"Ya know… Everyone knows Guardian Hathaway and Belikov are always trying to shirk their responsibilities so they can… spend _intimate time _together."

The van slowly fading into the background explodes with laughter. "Boy, it's not that hard to just look at them and tell they were going to drop dead any minute now. No more amounts of _intimate time _together were going to stop that."

I peek a glance at Dimitri when I hear this comment, barely supressing a grin. The blush on his face was imminent. Dimitri would be mortified that Guardian Smith, and he probably wasn't the only one, had figured out what we'd done to attempt to stay awake. I press a kiss to his cheek quickly, loving the rough stubble that pricked my lips. He probably wouldn't even have time to shave when we woke up.

Twenty minutes later you could find us fast asleep, Dimitri in his briefs and pj bottoms, and me in his shirt, wrapped in each other's arms. It was a blessing when Lissa decided to give us the day off that morning. Christian would tell me she'd done it because she'd walked in on our sleeping position and thought we looked too cute and peaceful to wake up. Thank god.


	27. Donuts

Heyo! Thanks for all the great reviews! This chapter- I've been wanting to do something like this for a while now and I think you guys will like it! UGH however I just went and saw Pitch Perfect 2 with my mum and I'VE GOT POPCORN STUCK IN MY TEETH XC Great movie though, made me laugh a lot.

**Summary **Rose didn't like goodbyes- even as a child

**POV **Third

27

Alberta watches on with a sad gleam in her eye and a polite smile adorning her face. The sight before her was one she'd encountered many times throughout her years working at St. Vladimirs. It was a sight that was no less sad as when she'd first witnessed it.

But there was something different about this case. Before her stood a young guardian by the name of Janine Hathaway. Alberta could already tell, just by looking at her, that this twenty something year old woman was destined for great things.

But staring at four year old Rosemarie, who stood clutching her mother's pant leg, she couldn't help but wonder if the bitterness she would surely feel towards her mother was worth the glory and fame Janine would be bestowed upon. Alberta was a very observant person and it took her no effort to see that young Rosemarie, when she loved, she loved _hard_.

And witnessing the adoring gaze the brunette held towards her worn looking mother, she could just tell that this woman was making the biggest mistake of her life. As head guardian, Alberta had already reviewed Rose's enrolment forms. There was a little box ticked 'Permanent Residence' there. There were very little people that had that box ticked. Every mother, and very rarely, father, chose to see their children whenever they could.

"Rosemarie," Janine smiled wearily down at her child, who beamed up at her in response, "Go to Guardian Petrov, sweetie."

Rose frowned, a cute little tick entering her forehead. "But Mommy," she started to protest, sneaking a cautious gaze at the forty year old woman, before lowering her voice into a conspiring whisper, "Guardian's like us aren't supposed to trust strangers."

Alberta felt her heart melt right there, and from the looks of it, Janine's too. Even at the age of four, Rosemarie Hathaway showed the potential of a great guardian. Alberta smiled warmly at Rose as she flickered her gaze between her mother and the wizened guardian.

Janine let out a strangled noise that sounded like a cross between a sob and a chuckle. Bending down to her daughter, Janine brushed a dark brown piece of hair out of Rose's face. "Sweetie, go to Guardian Petrov." She cooed softly.

Rose scowled, her forehead creasing cutely. "No."

Janine let out a strangled sound again. "Honey, go to Guardian Petrov. Now."

Rose sucked in a deep breath and for a moment Alberta thought perhaps she was wrong and maybe Rose was just a normal kid, prone to tantrums and sucking their thumbs like half the children that entered this office. But the four year old just slowly exhaled, a manoeuvre that Alberta would later realise was one Janine used to calm herself and that would, unfortunately, rarely be used to by her child again in the years to come.

Rosemarie turned to Alberta, a stubborn gleam in her eyes that would want to make the guardian bang her head against a brick wall throughout her time at the academy in future. "What's your name?" she asked hotly.

"Guardian Petrov."

Rose gave her an incredulous look, which looked quite ridiculous on her chubby four year old cheeks. "That's your status, "she raised her chin proudly, "Not your name. Why would I trust someone whose name I don't even know? _I _thought old people were supposed to be smart." Rose crossed her arms, not noticing the shocked expressions of the adults around her "A good guardian would be smart enough to know that another guardian isn't just gonna trust a stranger. Right Mommy?"

Janine blinked at her daughter in shock before opening her mouth to either reprimand her or apologise to Alberta. Before she has the chance however, the head guardian speaks, kneeling down to Rose's level, "Why of course, "she smiles invitingly, "How silly of me. As a fellow guardian, I thank you for correcting me Rosemarie. My name is Alberta. Pleasure to meet you."

Rose grins a gap toothed smile. "I think this is gonna be a pretty friendship, don't you think Albie?"

Alberta chuckles. "The beginnings of a _beautiful _friendship, you mean?"

Rose huffs, giving out a little pout. "Yeah, what you said."

Janine gives a tight smile and gestures for her daughter to go to her newly acquired friend. "It's time to go now Rose."

Rosemarie frowns before leaping into her mother's unsuspecting arms. "Don't forget to come back to me Mommy," she whispers into her shoulder, unaware of the pinched expression on her mother's face, or of the barely restrained tears pooling in the corner of the woman's eye. "I love you lots and lots Mommy, and when you come back we can go get some chocolate donuts! Kay? Promise Mommy?"

Janine lets out a choked sob, not saying anything. Brushing her daughter off and standing out of their hug, Janine quickly fast walks out of the building, refusing to look back at her daughter's confused expression. "I love you too." She mumbles, wiping at her eyes and swiftly pulling open the doors. She doesn't look back.

Rose stares after her before turning to Alberta. "Where's Mommy going?" she asks, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Alberta stares down at the four year old forlornly, grabbing her hand and leading them towards her office.

"Mommy's going back to guard her Moroi. Do you know what that means?"

Rose furrows her brows, "I think so."

Alberta stares down at the child. She had no idea.

The brunette bites her lip, "Why didn't she promise me Albie?" she asks quietly.

Alberta feels a wave of sadness overwhelm her. "I don't know Rosemarie."

Rose flinches at the name, a distasteful scowl covering her face before she remembers what she was going to say. "Mommy only doesn't give me promises if she can't keep them, "Rose whispers, tightening her hold on Alberta's hand. Looking up, childlike innocence protruding from her stare, she asks, "Does that mean Mommy won't get me any chocolate donuts?"

Alberta bites her cheek, almost hard enough to draw blood, as she mulls over her answer and tries to stop the tears from coming out of her eyes. This was the bit she hated most. "I'm not sure." She pastes a smile so fake and so thickly sweet she's surprised her teeth don't rot. "Maybe she'll get you strawberry ones instead?"

Rose looks up at her, sensing something not right, and squirms. Alberta knew she was feeling a deeply ingrained instinct that told her something wasn't right. She wished she could change that. But there was nothing she could've done to stop Janine from walking out the door, from walking out of her child's life. Nothing at all.


	28. Ashford

Hola! Thank you for all the amazing reviews ;) I feel so proud. This story has officially reached over 20 000 views! And while that has made me happy, this chappie will probably make you sad :( Regarding the timing of this, I'm pretty sure that bit's not the most accurate… Unfortunately I have no copies of the books on hand :( I'm hoping to get that for my b'day in July. Enjoy!

**Summary **How did she forget? How did she forget he had a family?

**POV **Third

28

In the days following Mason's death, Rose was like a walking corpse. Which really wasn't the smartest description you could give anyone in the Moroi society, for that generally meant they were Strigoi.

She didn't have any training with Dimitri that morning. Kirova and Alberta had been kind enough to give her a few days to mourn. But looking back on it now, Rose wondered if she would have avoided this confrontation if she had been venting her sadness on her mentor.

A boy, young and impressionable, with flaming red hair and a familiar rigid nose that held the same dusting of freckles, approached her. He was small, just as Mason had been at that age, with a perpetual scowl and eyes pinched tight in grief. He'd just stared at her. And stared and stared and stared.

Rose was shell shocked, staring at this preteen boy in horror. "Who are you?" she'd choked out, doing nothing to stop the overflow of tears streaming in rivulets down her suddenly ashen face.

"You killed my brother."

And it was with this one statement that Rose felt her heart break into a million more tiny pieces. That was a statement that would forever haunt her, she just knew. Rose sank to the floor, welcoming the biting cold of the cobblestone path. "I know." she'd whispered, not even having the courage to face one of Mason's many brothers.

She thought that perhaps she recognised this one. He would grow up to look just like Mason, a fact she found hard to bear. Rose vaguely remembered him and all the other Ashford family from the time they'd visited the academy, or the one summer Mason had brought her along to meet his family and spend the holidays with him.

Rose heard footsteps approach her and she did nothing to stop the boy as he fell to his feet in front of her and weakly began pounding his fists into her legs. Her tears came on faster and Rose let out another sob, unleashing a dam that kept on coming. It seemed to trigger something in the Ashford in front of her because it wasn't long before she felt him sobbing into her lap, using his arms to cushion himself.

"I know," she whispered again.

"It's all your fault!" he warbled. Rose tenderly reached out and slowly petted the bright flaming hair she would always associate with Mason. As if startled by her touch, the boy jerked out of her grasp and reared his hand back, surging his body forward clumsily and slapping a hand across her face.

Rose did nothing to stop him, even as she instinctively began correcting him in her mind. "Why did you kill him!?" he shrieked.

Rose bit her lip, the coppery taste of blood evident on her tongue. She bowed her head and a tremor passed through her body, only the start of the trembles racking her body, "I-I didn't mean to!" she cried out, "I-I _tried!_ I-I told him to-to leave… a-and don't… look back."

"…He didn't listen."

The Ashford let out a little scream of frustration and grief. Rose felt ashamed that she suddenly couldn't remember which little brother this was. Was it Jordan? Or was it Dylan? Was it the once shy boy that stood in the corner and thought she and Mason were the greatest things on Earth? God, she hoped not.

"He gave up everything for you! He chose _you _over his family!" he screamed in her face.

Rose clutched both sides of her head. "Don't you think I know that!?" she let out a strangled whine, digging her nails deeply into her hair, "Don't you think I fucking did everything I could to stop that!?" she screamed back.

The boy just stares at her, a haunting, lost look gleaming back at her through a thick haze of tears. Something in his achingly familiar gaze made Rose's sobs a little louder, her tears come a little faster. "Why aren't the _molnija _marks I have proof enough of that? _Why?!_"

Rose starts rocking back and forth, a repeating mantra of 'Why isn't it enough?' escaping her. When she next looks up, it's because of a looming Russian man with concern laced in his comforting brown eyes.

"Roza?" he says quietly, and she finally notices the comforting arms encircling her, almost waiting for her approval to pick her up bridal style and sling her to somewhere warm, away from the chilling cold of the cobblestone and bittersweet memories.

Clutching at Dimitri's chest it takes all of Rose's willpower to ask him, with her voice scratchy and her nose stuffed and her everything filled with mourning, "Why wasn't I enough to make him stay?"

It's then she realises the achingly familiar Ashford boy is gone.


	29. Alcohol Cabinet

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews! This one here is probably one of my favourites, I had heaps of fun writing it. Although reading right now would probably just make my headache worse T.T I had soccer training after school today and I got tripped and my knees and head decided to take a hit to the floor. So now I have bloody knees, a pounding head ache and a blood lip. Enjoy!

**Summary **Sometimes he hated being Christian's guardian.

**POV **Third

29

"W-Why Guardian B-Belikov!" he hiccups, "Are-aren't you a little f-frisky tonight? Rosie Posie w-won't like that one bit!"

Dimitri keeps his face blanch, hefting Christian's arm up as to force him to use his feet rather than flop shamelessly against him. "I think," he grunts, "Rose would be videoing this if she were here."

Christian just giggles, seemingly not paying attention to Dimitri's reply. "I-I miss Ro-rosie! She d-doesn't mind if we s-set fire to things! Unlike yoooooouuuuuuuuuu~"

Dimitri's eyebrow twitches. He'd have to double check with Rose to clarify what the hell his charge's statement meant. He really wouldn't be too surprised if their bonding entailed setting fire to things. Which, Dimitri sighed, meant he'd have one more thing to scold her over. Really, the more often Christian got drunk, the more often Rose got in trouble it seemed.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why he never restrained the Moroi too much whenever he broke into Dimitri's alcohol cabinet. Christian was the only one who ever actually drank any of the alcohol he and Rose kept. That didn't stop Rose from stocking it up with Russian Vodka whenever the fire user raided it.

And it was usually only Russian Vodka it seemed. Perhaps, Dimitri thought, Rose was hoping to catch Christian out while he was getting drunk on their Vodka. Christian, it seemed after all, was quite the lightweight.

Unfortunately for Roza, Christian only seemed to get drunk whenever she and Lissa were away. Dimitri was just surprised that Rose was still hoping to catch him drunk. Surely she'd figured it out by now that every time she had reason to restock the alcohol cabinet, her significant other seemed to have something new to scold her about.

"Waaaaahhh!" Christian swung his other arm out, almost hitting a nearby lamp post in the process. Dimitri huffed and just wished that this night was one of those times. But no, this time Christian had insisted on going to one of the court bars. So now Dimitri not only had to stay with him to make sure he didn't choke on his own vomit, when he was so not on guard duty for that long, but he also had to drag his charge's sorry ass home.

Dimitri almost groans in frustration when his phone rings. Right on cue, that would be his Roza. She usually called from Lecourt around this time and usually if Christian had decided to get drunk he would be out like a light around this time. But because he hadn't been chugging down potently strong Russian alcohol, it had taken him longer to decide to get his guardian to drag him home.

"Oohoo!" Christian hiccupped, stumbling against his guardian before slapping him proudly on the back, "Whhhhhoooooo could THAT be?" he winked over exaggeratedly.

Dimitri let out a slow breath, trying in vain not to glare a hole into the asphalt in front of them. But he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone anyway, knowing Rose would only worry if he ignored her call. "Hello?" he said, bracing himself for the inevitable.

"Hey comrade!"

Christian sucked in a big breath, looking at Dimitri's phone in excitement. "Ooooh! Is that Rosie!?" a grin split his face, before he clambered for the phone. Dimitri didn't even try to hold it away from him. Rose would be able to hear the fire user in the background, and she would find out. It was inevitable. "Rosie Rosie!" Christian grinned into the phone before bellowing out an incredibly off tune song, "Rooooooses! Are reeeeeed! Viiiiiiolets are bllllluuueee! I lllo, hiccup, vveee Lisssssaaaaaaa,"

Christian's face suddenly swelled up and he shoved Dimitri's phone back into his hand before breaking out of Dimitri's grip furiously, stumbling to his knees and suddenly vomiting onto the side walk.

"Shit," Dimitri heard him swear.

"Um… Christian? Dimitri?"

The guardian sighed heavily before putting the phone to his ear. "Is… he _drunk?_"

Dimitri eyed his charge wearily from his spot kneeling on the pathway. The Moroi beckoned him closer and with another exasperated sigh, the Russian handed the phone back to him.

"Anndd… Diiiiimittri…. Luuuuvvveess youuuuuuu," with those final lilted words, Christian toppled forward, almost falling into his own sick before his guardian catches him by the armpits. Dimitri's phone topples from Christian's grip and onto his lap, before bouncing onto the asphalt, thankfully away from the Moroi's vomit.

"Dimitri?" Rose's laughter echoes from the speaker.

The Russian hefted his charge's arm over his shoulder, practically dragging Christian as Dimitri shuffled down the street, phone pressed tightly to his ear. "Yes Roza?"

"_Please _tell me you have some of that on video?"

Dimitri let out another heavy breath, cursing the day he ever let Christian near that stupid, stupid alcohol cabinet. Maybe then he wouldn't always be so tempted to get smashed whenever he missed his girlfriend. Or maybe Dimitri really should video him drunk. If there was anything his older sisters had taught him, it was that videoing a drunk man was good blackmail.


	30. Baby Girl

Heyo everyone! Sorry, I planned to get this up earlier but I had some things going on. Like yesterday afternoon for example… WHOOT! WE WON OUR SOCCER GAME! Unfortunately however, at the end of the half I got tripped and went hard into a roll, grazing the same knee AGAIN. So I had to go from striker to defence :'( Which I regretted a lot… I didn't really get an opportunity to run there.

Anywho, thanks for all your reviews and I hope you enjoy this little chappie!

**POV **Third

**Summary **The tears streaming down her face were from multiple things.

30

She felt the tears streaming down her face as acutely as the fierce labour pains convulsing her body. Everyone she knew, especially those bitchy Moroi she graduated with, wouldn't they just love to see her now.

Janine sobbed and the doctor prescribed to her questioned if she'd like any pain medication. She shook her head, her bright hair bouncing around her shoulders. The man who would be delivering her baby was a Moroi she didn't know, but one that Lord Schlezsky had said came with high recommendations.

Her charge, technically her former charge now, ever since he forced her to take maternity leave, was the only one who knew she was there. Anyone else she associated herself with probably had no idea she was pregnant, let alone giving birth.

Janine bit her lip, tasting blood as the mid wives and doctor commanded her to push. She was really doing it. Janine could remember the countless times she'd walked into a hospital during her first trimester, aching to get rid of the child inside of her. She didn't want it. She didn't want a baby.

The emotional pain clawed at her throat and the only Hathaway suddenly was feverishly wishing Ibrahim was there with her. He had no idea she was giving birth to his child right now. The teenager let out a shuddering breath. She was such an idiot. She was supposed to be responsible. What was so responsible about being so enthralled in throughs of passion that she had so foolishly decided to tell her partner that she was on the pill?

And now she was suffering the consequences of it.

Suddenly the cries of a baby echo throughout the labour ward. Janine blinked back tears, suddenly feeling empty. The pains of labour had ceased. Janine sucks in a large breath, unclenching her fingers from where she'd wrapped them in her bedsheets.

A kind looking mid wife slowly approached the dhampir."Here you are sweetie. You did a great job. Meet your baby girl."

Janine dully noted the swath of blankets surrounding the screaming baby, protecting her from her mother's sight. A girl. She had a baby girl, a baby daughter. She wondered if she would have Abe's beautiful hair, his dark, dark eyes. She wondered if her daughter would have her shortness, her unruly Irish hair. For the first time in nine months, Janine thought that maybe she wanted to see this daughter of hers.

The baby is then in her grasp. "Hello," Janine cooed, suddenly feeling amateurish. She was just a teenager. She probably sounded so foolish.

But then she moved the blanket out of the way and it's a beautiful baby girl that _her _amateurish, teenage body produced. A beautiful, beautiful girl.

Janine feels a smile split her face in half and her baby slowly calms down in her mother's gentle grasp. "Hello," she cooed again, feeling new tears, tears of joy fill her eyes. Her baby scowled at her, brown eyes glaring as sharp as a thorn. Janine felt a laugh bubble out of her throat, "Yes, I'm your mommy."

Janine carefully brushed the dark wisps of hair growing out of her rosy skin. Her baby girl thrashed an arm, almost hitting her mother square in the eye. Janine shuddered out another laugh. Her baby girl had good aim. "You're gonna be a strong guardian one day, aren't you hmm? My little baby girl."

The infant gurgled out a reply and Janine gave her an Eskimo kiss. At this, the sound of a newborn's laughter echoed throughout the room. Janine's eyes glimmered with tears and her cheeks turned red from the awesome smile that consumed her face and the tears steadily flying from her eyes.

She thinks Ibrahim would love their little girl. She thinks he would cherish her, that he would be afraid to hold her, and that their little girl would have him wrapped around her finger. So Janine's smile dims slightly when she realises that won't happen.

The Irish woman lets out a sigh, the mid wife next to her holding a clip board ready to document her child's name, and other statistics.

"Her name will be Rosemarie. Rosemarie Hathaway."

She tries to ignore the wounded expression she can picture on Abe's face. Their baby will be a Hathaway because he didn't care enough to find out about their baby. He didn't care enough to make her choose him over her career.

Janine is a horrible person.

She hopes when her daughter realises that, she won't be too hard on her. Because although she's a horrible person, Janine will always love her daughter.


	31. Swing Set

Hiya! Thank you for your reviews- they really make my day that much better ;) Anyway with this chapter, I've made it so that Tasha actually attends St Vlads- I know her origin is apparently Russia and that her and Dimitri were old friends but the novels never actually says what academy she attended (or at least I don't think it did…). However, one thing that is completely slipping my mind- what _age _was Christian when Lucas and Moira turned Strigoi? I omitted it in this chapter but I need some specifics for some other ideas I have. There'll be a sequel to this one up soon too!

**Summary** He didn't understand why these blonde and brunette little girls weren't treating him like the monster he really was.

**POV **Third

31

Christian frowned, staring up at his aunt. He tightened his hold on her hand and gulped, before looking away.

Tasha smiled sadly, reaching her unoccupied hand up to prod lightly at her fresh scar. Around them children stared up at her in fear. "C'mon Chrissie. I've gotta get to class okay? Go play."

Christian's frown deepened and he glares at her briefly before snapping his head to the side in a pout. "I don' wanna."

Tasha sighs lightly before kneeling on the dirt in front of him. "Christian?"

He refused to look at her until Tasha forcibly grabbed his hand. "Christian, I've gotta get to class okay? The teachers are real meanies, don't you think?"

The Moroi toed his new school shoes into the dirt. "Whatever," he mumbles.

Tasha sighs exasperatedly, placing a kiss on her nephew's forehead before standing back up, hitching her St Vlads backpack higher on her shoulder. "Go play with the others, okay? I'll see you later little man."

And with a quick ruffle of his hair, Tasha stalks off. Christian stares after her, clutching the hem of his shirt tightly. "Don't go…" he whispered, the sound disappearing with the wind.

The blue eyed boy forlornly turned and shuffled towards the playground, intending on just going on the swing. He stops however as he notices the whole playground is packed. Christian nervously surveys the area, looking for somewhere he could just disappear into the shadows. All of the other children were staring at him weird.

Not for long. An outraged cry sounded from over by the swings and everyone, including the newly orphaned boy, looked over. A girl with long brown hair and tanned skin stood over a Moroi boy, a blonde girl clinging to her arm and partially hidden behind the brunette.

"Why did you push Lissa, ya punk!" the girl yells, fists clenched.

The boy whimpers. "I-I wanted to go on the swings!"

The girl, who was most likely a dhampir, growls. "Why didn't you ask then, huh? You and your stupid friend," here she sent a glare to the boy sitting suspended on one of two of the swings. "hurt my friend! _No one hurts my friends!"_

The two boys squeal before scrambling up from their positions and scurrying away. A loud cheer surrounds the playground. The brunette sends them a grin before helping her pale Moroi friend over to a swing seat.

A boy with flaming red hair moves to go on the only other vacant one but the fierce little girl stops him. "Mase!" she chastises, "That guy wants to go on it!"

Here she sweeps her arm to point at Christian. He freezes, suddenly noticing how close he was to the swing set. The girl's eyes glimmer in understanding, "Go on. I saw you earlier." She grinned, "It won't bite!"

Christian meekly heads over and sits on the swing. Scowling over at the cheekily grinning girl he says, "I know it won't! I-I will! Don't you know that?" the girl merely raises her eyebrows at him curiously and Christian realises maybe this girl doesn't think about him like all the others.

The blonde girl shoots a worried frown his way, her legs pumping high in the air, "Are you okay?" she asks quietly, so only the three of them can hear her. The boy with red hair had disappeared.

Christian blushes, averting his gaze from the pretty blonde girls emerald orbs. Turning to the brunette he asks, "W-why aren't you going on it?"

The dhampir shrugs, "Because you come first."

Christian finds the way she phrases her words odd and a scowl furrows his brow. "Why?"

The girl looks him in the eye, dead serious. "Because you're more important."

Christian bristles, not used to such words. What made him more important than her? Was it because he was Royal? "Why?"

The brunette gives him a weird look and the blonde giggles, sounding like a gentle wind chime. "You just are, "she shrugs, "You will always be very important."

Christian starts kicking his legs, "Because I'm royal?" he mutters.

The brunette freezes, "Y…you're royal?"

There's something so awfully deadpan about her words that Christian can't help the little smirk that creases his face. The three go quiet. The silence only lasts for a few minutes before the dhampir speaks up, seemingly struggling with her words, "You're important because… because you're you."

The explanation is faulty and doesn't really cover what he initially wanted to know, but Christian feels his heart still. He was important… because he was… himself. He doesn't say anything, just staring in shock at his shoes.

"If you and Lissa had babies together you're babies would be extra important." The brunette states.

Christian sputters and the blonde-Lissa- has a prominent blush spreading across her cheeks. "H-he wouldn't wanna have babies with _me _Rose!"

The dhampir grins. "Why not?"

Christian finds himself wondering the same thing. He looks into the blonde's eyes, his gaze comically solemn. "Yeah. Why not? You don't beat people up," he gave a squinted side glance at the brunette at this that she returned with a glare, "and you're… really cute."

He mumbles that last part but the two girls hear him non-the-less. Christian can feel a blush as red as a tomato creep up his neck and its years later before he can confront his long-time crush. But when he does he certainly doesn't regret it.

Although he can't help but chuckle at the irony that Rose was the one that initially brought them together when for a while, as teenagers, she hated the idea of Vasian. He refused to mention he'd made up the couple name for him and Lissa though. Especially the part where he'd thought of it when they were twelve.

He'd become whipped long before any of his friends realised.


	32. Importance

Hello my faithful readers ;) I'm glad to see everyone likes my drabbles :) I put a lot of effort in to them and I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that I have a little notebook that I've scribbled any little idea that pops into my head. So far, if you add all of the ones I've already written, I've had around seventy one shot ideas. This one's a little short, and so will tomorrow's one, but I think you guys will like it! Enjoy!

**Summary **Rose chooses not to say what's really going through her head when Christian is brooding.

**POV **Third

32

Rose feels like he's kind of clueless.

She doesn't quite understand why he doesn't understand. Why would she care if he was royal? It's because _they come first_.

She stares at the boy with the sad blue eyes as he pushes himself higher and higher on the swing. He's making googly eyes at Lissa, trying to be discreet. Lissa is doing the same thing back at him and Rose almost wants to yack at the lovey dovey-ness these two seem to exuberate.

She also didn't really get why they'd found it so embarrassing that any babies they had together would be extra important. Of course they would be. Two Moroi equalled another Moroi, not a dhampir, which would make the baby special to begin with. Add the fact that it would be Lissa's baby and bam! You've got an extra important baby.

It was her job to protect Moroi after all. That's why this guy with the haunted aura was important. She had a feeling he'd taken what she'd meant the wrong way when she'd said he was important because he was himself. She'd really just been trying to say he was important because he was Moroi. She wouldn't give a rat's ass otherwise.

But Rose had a feeling she'd made both Lissa and this sad little boy happy with what she'd said. So it didn't quite matter if she didn't clarify exactly what she meant. She didn't want the boy with the sad blue eyes to be even sadder.

She'd seen him earlier, saying goodbye to a relative of his. He'd looked lost as soon as she walked away, and Rose didn't pretend not to notice the horrid, healing scar laced across her cheek. It looked pretty cool to Rose. But she wouldn't bring it up.

Rose knew Lissa hated it when people were left out, so before Lissa could notice and start pestering her about it, she'd ushered the Moroi over to the swing. There was something about him that kind of ticked her off. But he made Lissa worried, which wasn't that uncommon of an occurrence, Lissa was a worrywart, and then he'd made her blush. Which, according to Andre, meant she should let this guy stay around Lissa to make her happy.

With a small smile, Rose came to a decision. The boy with the sad blue eyes could be her brother, like Andre to Lissa, and that way he and Lissa could get married and Rose would be Lissa's sister for real. They'd have to keep this boy around.


	33. Chips and Gravy

HI! Thank you everyone once again for all of your amazazing reviews! I'd just like to say this chapter is inspired by the chips and gravy they sell at a local deli where I live. They. Are. TO DIE FOR.

**Summary **It's the little moments like these that make him love her even more.

**POV **Third

33

Rose blows on the hot chip, gravy dipping off the edges and pooling into the Styrofoam container balanced on her lap. She barely resists moaning at the delicious taste as she places it in her mouth. Dimitri, sitting next to her with his own container of chips, stares at her, looking amused.

"I'm assuming its good then?" he voices, his grin only growing when Rose snaps her head to glare at him.

"Of course it is. Jeezus Dimitri I still don't understand how the hell you have never been here. They have another branch of this store at Court ya know! I dunno if it's as good as the one here in Lecourt but well…"

Dimitri chuckles slightly, seemingly more enamoured watching his girlfriend eat away at her lunch rather than participate in his own meal. "It's not a crime that I've never had the Deli's hot chips and gravy before Rose."

Rose sucks on her pinkie finger to rid it of some stray droplets of gravy. Giving him a deadpan look, she says, "Yes it is."

Dimitri rolls his eyes at her before picking a chip doused in steaming gravy up with his plastic fork. He places it in his mouth, not noticing the sympathetic wince Rose hissed between her teeth as soon as he did so. Recoiling, Dimitri immediately spits the chip back out, guzzling from the water bottle next to him on their bench in an attempt to soothe the ever present throbbing from his newly burnt tongue.

Rose shakes her head in exasperation. "And Lissa thinks you're the responsible one."

Dimitri lowers his bottle, averting his gaze with a subtle blush on his cheeks. "I didn't realise it would be so hot…" he mumbles.

Rose lets out a hearty laugh, leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek. Dimitri lets out a sigh, placing a hand up to caress the spot on his face where Rose's lips had laid merely seconds before.

It doesn't take long for Rose to finish her lunch, licking the insides of the box to catch all of the remaining droplets of gravy. And when Rose sets her sights on the basically full box of chips and gravy almost untouched sitting on Dimitri's lap, he can't resist handing it over to her. She made the most adorable faces when she ate things she loved, he thought with a charming smile.


	34. Babysitting

Hey everyone! Sorry, I would've had this up earlier, especially because I really quite like it and I definitely plan on doing a sequel, but this past week was exam week. And I didn't even go to school today because I've been sick all week and it finally caught up to me. I hope this chappie puts a smile on your face! Don't forget to leave reviews! They really make my day and considering right now my best friend who I've never really fought with before is pissy at me for something I had no control over, I could really use the morale boost.

**Summary **People always thought Dimitri would be better with kids than Rose. Christian isn't sure if this counts.

**POV **Third

34

Dimitri stares down at the little boy in bewilderment. What exactly was he supposed to do in this situation? Scare the kid away? Or make conversation? It was moments like these that he truly wished Rose was with him. She would know what to do.

He holds in a wry smile. It was odd yet completely Rose-like that his girlfriend understood children better than he did, he who had a large family and close-knit hometown with young children. However his partner was currently at home, most likely fast asleep in their large king sized bed at home.

And instead of indulging in some much deserved canoodling with her, Dimitri was stuck here, at an Ozera family get together. He and Christian had agreed that it was a get together Dimitri couldn't afford to miss. Not a lot of the Ozera respected Christian, made doubly as worse due to his aunt. They'd agreed if Christian had his very impressive guardian with him, it would be less likely any of the other royals would try to cause trouble.

And now across from him was one of Christian's many cousins. The little boy shared a resemblance to the fire user, with his dark brown, almost black, hair and familiar piercing blue eyes. He looked to be around the age of three or four, the fact amplified by the lollipop clenched tightly in his fist. It brought attention to the Moroi's sticky, sweet covered hands and the identical translucent sweetness covering his face. The bright ball room lights illuminated the mess. Mercifully, for the boy's mother, none had gotten on his cute, expensive looking penguin suit.

The boy stares up at Dimitri, his eyes large and round in childlike amazement, yet somehow stoic due to the blank frown plastered on his face. "Who're you?" the Ozera questions.

Dimitri feels himself blink in what he hopes is a kind way. As soon as the thought crosses his mind however, the guardian feels his eye twitch. If Rose had heard him say something like that, there is no way she'd be able to restrain her laughter. Just thinking about his ridiculous notions almost made him want to smack himself in the head. You can't blink in a kind or a mean way comrade, he can almost hear Rose taunting.

Finally snapping himself back to reality, Dimitri looks down at the boy. "My name is Guardian Belikov," he pronounces slowly.

The boy blinks at him slowly. "Guardian Bev."

Dimitri raises an eyebrow in what he thinks is a mesh between bewilderment and amusement. "No," he corrects, "Guardian Belikov."

"Bev."

Dimitri feels his jaw twitch in mild annoyance. This kid was a bit of a brat. (His imaginary Rose tells him that all Ozera's, especially their children, are brats) Raising his eyes slightly from the crowd, the Russian wills for the kid's mother to hurry up and find their grubby son.

With a sigh, Dimitri averts his gaze to the side, away from the boy. He really was not the best person to converse with when he was missing his Rose. She hadn't been home from Lecourt long and all he wanted to do was snuggle with her. The weather was perfect for some hot chocolate, a little love making and a whole lot of cuddling.

Eventually the little boy walks away, presumably bored by the tall Russian man. Or at least, that's what Dimitri thinks until he comes over again, this time with a girl who looked to be around the same age as him. "Bev?" the girl questions, tilting her head curiously to the side.

Dimitri feels his eyebrow twitch. "Guardian Belikov," he grounds out.

Five minutes later another wide eyed child joins them, looking slightly older than the other two. "Bev?" he chirps.

"_Guardian Belikov_." Is all Dimitri says.

Three more brats, one of which who was young enough to be perched on the hip of a nine year old, head over to the small cluster Dimitri found surrounding him. The first kid, the one with the lollipop, whispers something in the girl with the baby's ear.

She blinks before pointing a finger at the Russian. Over the sound of the gurgling baby she says, "Bev."

Dimitri doesn't say anything this time, deciding instead to just glare at them, hoping then maybe they'd go away. It doesn't seem to help. Instead, the baby claps happily and says, "Bev!"

A cluster of five kids that had been previously standing off to the side in a huddle all start heading over. Dimitri groans internally. If Rose couldn't help him out of this situation, then where the hell was Christian? Surely he'd be able to do something. But the stupid Fire using Moroi was nowhere in sight.

A half hour later Christian finds him surrounded by almost every single Ozera child at the party. He smirks at his guardian, who only gave him a cool glare in return. "Let's go Belikov," he grins, beckoning him over with a wave of his fingers.

Dimitri slowly wades through the sea of children. When he is finally by his charge's side, a little girl around the age of seven (Melanie, Christian believed her to be), grips tightly to the Russian's pant leg. "Don't leave us Bev." She quivers.

A chorus of agreement surges from behind her and every single child turns on their puppy eyes, a few even letting out a few sniffs and sobs. But the fire user merely turns a smirk to his guardian. "Bev?" he snorts, "Really?"

"Shut up," Dimitri says, deadpan. He turns to leave, heading towards the exit. Christian follows after him.

"So…" he says, his smirk broadening, "The Belikov Family Day Care? I never pegged you as a um… person who would willingly spend his free time with a bunch of brats."

Dimitri just grunts at him. But the back of Christian's head seems to burn with the heat of someone's stare. He turns his head to look over his shoulder, immediately wishing he hadn't.

The group of children were all glaring at him, "We'll get Bev back, you just wait." Christian thinks he hears one of them hiss.

He blinks once, eyes wide, before speeding up to walk in stride with his guardian. He never realised he was related to such scary children.


	35. The Bachelorette

Come one come all! Welcome to the next chapter in my drabble series! Okay this one is the sequel to Belikov, which I think you guys will like. It didn't turn out as I initially thought it would but I guess that's the surprise of writing. Kind of like going with the wind. Anyway thank you for all your reviews, they're much appreciated, as well as all of your well wishes! Now, it was pointed out to me in a recent chapter that I've been calling Lehigh, Lecourt… Oops O.O I'll try to fix that mistake as quickly as I can. It's also been pointed out to me that because Rose is American she would say 'fries' instead of 'chips'. I'm Australian, so I didn't even think of that to be honest! But I don't think I'm going to change that, because 'fries and gravy' just doesn't sound the same. Sorry if that bothers anyone but I'll try to refrain from making that mistake again! Without further ado…

**Summary **This family had become ten times as chaotic as soon as Rose had joined (even if unofficially)

**POV **Third

35

Olena blinks at the sight she viewed from her kitchen. Her eldest daughter, Karolina, stared in equal confusion at the sight before them. They could see a laughing Rose, sitting with her feet dangling over the edge of the porch. But that was not the strange part.

The strange part was the sight of seeing 6'7 Dimitri losing a fight to his ten year old nephew.

Karolina slowly took a sip of the hot chocolate she clenched in her hands. "What is Dimka doing Mama?" she asks point-blank.

Olena felt a shaky smile cover her face, trying to contain her laughter. "That is something I plan to find out."

The two women slowly walk out of the kitchen and head into their backyard. Karolina sits cross legged next to her brother's girlfriend, hands still wrapped around her beverage to keep her hands warm. Olena merely stood patiently on the other side of her daughter.

"Roza, what is that foolish man of yours doing?" Karolina inquires with an amused grin.

Rose smirks, shaking her head lightly from side to side. "Dimitri is valiantly fighting for my affections."

Right as she says this, Dimitri exaggeratedly falls to his side from a not so lethal sweep of Paul's legs. Karolina and Olena let out a bought of laughter. Despite their distractions however, none of the women flinch when Sonya suddenly pops up on Rose's other side.

"You should be on that American television show Roza. The one where all the men fight for your attention and you have to choose only one! You certainly have enough suitors for it." Sonya pipes up, a sardonic grin adorning her face.

"You mean the Bachelorette?" Rose grins, eyebrows raised.

Karolina snickers as her son attempts to tackle the twenty four old man. "This is perhaps the most determined I've ever seen Paul."

Sonya's face turns wicked. "We have just gained the best blackmail for Paul. I will personally make sure he never lives this little saga down in the years to come."

Olena gives her daughter a wary look. Karolina and Rose just snicker, observing as Dimitri finally concedes to his nephew.

Paul comes rushing over to her almost immediately, leaving his uncle to stand and brush himself down behind him. Rose sends her beau a smile over Paul's head, which he returns with a soft one of his own.

"Roza!" Paul grins eagerly, "I beat him! Did you see that?" he meets eyes with his mother, "Mama, did you see that? I beat Uncle Dimka! I really did!"

Sonya chuckles, drawing Paul's eyes to her at the sound. "What?" he scowls, looking defensive.

Rose try's to hide her smile behind a cough. "We saw Paul."

The ten year old seems to perk up at this and a broad smile overcomes his features. Said features were glistening with sweat and dirt and there was a grass stain on his pants leg. He was panting heavily, a bright look in his eyes.

Dimitri stands behind him. Not a hair is out of place and the only evidence he'd even participated in a battle of some sorts was the small shoe marks that had smeared mud on his pants. "Good job Paul." He smiles softly, reaching down and ruffling his hair.

Paul turns slightly, poking his tongue out at the older man and giving him a stink eye. Ignoring his uncle's raised eyebrow at the acts, Paul turns to his aunt. "What happens next Roza?" he questions eagerly.

"What do you mean?" the royal guardian replies, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smile.

Paul tilts his chin up proudly, a determined gleam in his eyes. "When do we get married now?"

It is at this point Viktoria walks through the back door. She gapes at her nephew before a giggle bubbles up from her throat. "What?" she chokes out.

Paul pouts, a furrow in his brow. "I'm marrying Aunt Roza, Aunt Vika."

Viktoria presses her mouth into a straight line in an attempt to stop the giggles spouting from her throat. She motions for him to head over to her, so Paul climbs up the porch and goes to stand in front of his youngest aunt. "Paul," she mock whispers, "You haven't given her a ring have you? I'll help you."

Paul's face lightens in understanding and he eagerly takes Viktoria's hand. She leads him back inside, presumably in the direction of the bath. Karolina grins, shaking her head, before standing and following after her sister in the help of cleaning her son.

"That was adorable, Dimka, Roza." Olena smiles sweetly at them.

Rose grins sheepishly, standing and wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. She burrows her head into his chest, peeking a small glance at Olena and Sonya.

Sonya smirks at them. "If you really were on the Bachelorette, it probably wouldn't be very entertaining. It's obvious my sweet baby brother has an unfair advantage."

Dimitri stares blankly after his sister and mother as they leave the couple standing in the backyard. "What?" he questions slowly, as if he'd contemplated exactly what to say for a long time.

Rose laughs. "It's nothing to worry about comrade."


	36. Burn

Helllloo! This one-shot is dedicated to my Pa, whose birthday was yesterday! It's not going to solve your problems if you're in a Romitri feels mood, but as the second main couple, I figured these two deserved some time in the spot light. Happy reading!

**Summary **Because Christian and Lissa's relationship isn't all kittens and rainbows.

**POV **Lissa

36

I see him clench his fists tightly from where they rested on his thighs. He had a pained look twisting his face, his regular scowl seeming to stand out twice as much due to his clenched jaw, hunched posture and thinly pressed lips.

I avert my gaze from him. It hurt to look at him. Glancing down at my bandaged hands, I realised that maybe it was just the severe burns covering my wrists. They throbbed in time with my aching heart.

Christian's head jerks up and he meets my gaze from across the room. He stands up abruptly from the stiff hospital chair he'd been sitting in ever since we'd rushed into the hospital an hour earlier. I gnaw at my lip but keep our gazes locked. He didn't mean to, my 'nice' side urged vehemently.

Christian takes three long strides before he reaches my side. "Lissa…" he breathes out, concern laced into his voice and etched into his face.

I hold my hands up, forcing a weak grin. "I'm okay. The Doc just says I need to put burn salve on it for a while, and clean bandages."

Christian's face loses some of its worried texture. If I know it wouldn't hurt me, I think I would probably stroke his cheek, or rub the crease between his eyebrows to help him banish his concern. It was almost stifling.

My boyfriend takes a few cautious steps back before threading his pale hands into his hair. Briefly, the smell of burning hair invades my nostrils and I blink my eyes tightly in an effort to vanish the betraying thoughts suddenly entering my mind.

"What's wrong?" I force out through a sickening smile.

Christian looks to the side, his pretty ice blue eyes burning- I wince at the thought- a hole into the polished linoleum floor. "I," he clears his throat, letting his eyes flicker to mine momentarily before his gaze drops back down to the floor. It gives me a brief moment to see the guilt in those deceptively calm eyes, "I hurt you."

I take those few steps forward, separating the distance between us by lying my head on his chest. I cautiously raise my arms and lightly rest them on his back. Christian takes his cue and wraps his arms around me, resting his cheek on my head and breathing in. I can only imagine that he smells burning corpses and smoke.

"It wasn't your fault," I whisper, closing my eyes. Immediately I regret doing so, my mind conjuring the happenings of merely an hour ago, in that sick Love Tunnel at the fair. I keep them closed, forcing myself to re-watch the gruesome scene that flits behind my eyes in flashbacks.

I can remember us so eagerly sneaking out, in our inebriated states, past my guardians. Together, hand in hand we'd giggled and jostled each other in the direction of the pier, where the locals were holding a large fair, complete with a massive Ferris wheel and dark, menacing corners where Strigoi hoped to prey upon those foolish enough to come closer.

Thinking we were smarter than that, to go to such obvious breeding grounds, the two of us had instead decided to go to the illustrious Love Tunnel, where we had minimum vision, even factoring in our enhanced Moroi eye sight. This Love Tunnel had shallow waters, just barely enough to keep a boat afloat.

It wasn't long before we heard the menacing sounds of approaching feet. The noise, and us suddenly registering the ominous atmosphere, had sobered us fairly quick. Christian had immediately lit his hands on fire, eerily illuminating the cramped tunnel and the unnaturally pale faces of three Strigoi.

I cuddle in closer to Christian's chest. Just over an hour ago we'd been hammered past the point of no return. It was hard to think we'd been so drunk not so long ago, while now the thought of even a drop of liquor being in either of our systems seemed laughable. I hadn't been so sombre or serious since I was first hailed queen.

"I'm so sorry," Christian almost wept, his voice husky and rough in a way that in different circumstances may have set my lady bits on fire. I wince at the thought, willing my mind to shut up with the fire analogies.

"It's ok, it wasn't your fault," I whispered soothingly, my words muffled by his simple black T-shirt. His grip tightens, and I know I'm not the only one reliving the moment when all three Strigoi had simultaneously leapt at us and how Christian had reflexively thrust his hands out and set them alight.

I could feel the heat now. It had caused me to stumble over the side of the rickety little boat and land in the shallow waters. The Strigoi were writhing in pain, but we both knew it wasn't enough to keep them down for long. Rather than running, we knew the futility of that move, Christian had focused his magic on terminating the threats in front of us.

However, one thing neither of us had noticed til it was too late was the fact that the burning, the scorching hair and flesh and agonised screams, was only coming from two undead. We found the third one when he grabbed me by my neck from behind. The phantom feeling of fingers tightening around my neck still seemed to suffocate me now.

The Strigoi had done some weird mixture of a cackle and a hiss of pain. Half of his arm was burnt off and the smell invaded my nostrils so acutely I had to resist the urge to vomit. His voice was nasally as he attempted to use me as a bargaining tool of some sorts.

My hands had clutched desperately at the pale fingers from his one hand encircling my throat. We faced my boyfriend side on and right before the Strigoi was going to snuff my life out for real, Christian had fired. Unfortunately, in the process, my hands that had been clawing at the monster's tight grip, had been caught in the crossfire.

I made it out. The Strigoi didn't.

Embarrassingly, that's when my tears started. I burst into sobs, soaking Christian's shirt and publicly humiliating myself in front of the minimal staff that crawled through the unpopulated trauma ward. Christian's grip tightened around me and I vaguely register the butterfly light kisses he places delicately around my face, holding each for a minimum of three seconds. One on the crown of my head. One on each cheek. One on my forehead, one on my nose. By the time he gets to my lips, I've calmed down somewhat.

I let out a little gurgle of a laugh, meeting Christian's pretty blue eyes. I sniff once before saying, "My guardians are going to kill us when we get back to the hotel."

Christian smirks slightly, placing his forehead on my own. "I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about when Rose finds out."

"We should probably plan a safe house for when we get back to Court then right?" I joke. I reach up and our lips meet in a gentle, loving caress.

"I love you Lissa." Christian whispers, his grip tightening around me like a cage. I breathe out slowly, snuggling into his warmth, so different to that of his fire. So much, tamer, safer.

Then again, I like dangerous and wild.


	37. Elation

Heeya! Thank you for all your amazing reviews. This chapter I had a little difficulty trying to get across exactly what I wanted, but I think I got there in the end. Enjoy!

**Summary **Dimitri didn't know how she'd fooled him.

**POV **Third

37

Dimitri lays there stiffly, the wooden chair leg protruding from his chest forcing him to lie still. What a bother. He should have known his Roza wouldn't comply so easily. She'd played everything perfectly. Really, he should have noticed. Her increased pulse, the light sweat sheen on her forehead. The sickly sweet attitude she directed towards him.

Dimitri's eyes darken in anger. Rose thought she could get away from him, did she? While he had to admit, Rose was amazing at getting away with things, the one thing she could never get away from was _him_.

Closing his eyes to listen closely, Dimitri can hear her ragged breathing as she attempted to get out of the room. It was an admirable effort, he supposed. That was something he loved about Roza. She was so intelligent. She knew what she wanted. She'd known it as soon as he'd been awakened.

That was where the fault was placed in his hands. _Of course _Rose was going to try something like this! She was Rose Hathaway! He couldn't believe that he'd believed, even for a second, that Rose was going to give in to him, no matter how euphoric his bite, his kiss and his touch were.

He couldn't believe he'd tricked himself into thinking Rose was suddenly a demure, compliant wench. He couldn't believe he'd been able to stand it. Why was he _pleased _when she acted that way? That wasn't what Rose was like. Not his Rose.

With a cold stare to the roof he knows he will probably have to kill her now. She was too dangerous. He would try and give her one more chance, but he knows that the real Rose will completely disregard that as an option. She would rather die.

Dimitri's whole continence puts on his regular Strigoi expression as he comes to a sudden realisation. There was a part of him that was absolutely elated that she'd done this. It was only now that he registered how wrong it really was to have his Roza acting like some common petulant female. With the way he had to coerce her to consider the Strigoi ways that was exactly what she would become.

Well… That's what she would have become if her convincing façade had been real. He suspected he had been close to forcing that ruse to become real.

When feeling returns to his fingers, the anger he felt towards himself had reached boiling point. Rose was a fiery, bold and cunning intellectual. He had no right to change that.

Even if it meant he'd have to kill her instead. He guessed he wouldn't have to worry about her becoming a soulless blood sucker if he did turn her because she'd truly fooled him. He doesn't know how. But he was elated to know that his Roza was in fact, the same Roza he'd fallen in love with.


	38. Laugh

Hi! Thank you for your reviews (although I have to admit I got kinda scared that something was seriously wrong when no one reviewed within the first few hours like you guys usually do). This one here I love; it's my first time trying this particular POV. Enjoy!

**Summary **Rose was the light of the party.

**POV **Second

38

You see her standing there across the room, her hair wild and free around her waist. A smile bloomed on her face, flashing her pearly whites to the world. Around her, Moroi and dhampir alike stand in awe at her beauty and strength.

She fit into her blood red ball gown sinfully well, and her toned muscles, much more pronounced than any other lady at the ball, were on full display in her strapless dress. Red gloves with a trace of black lace fitted snugly up to her elbows. It hid her scarred hands, but brought poise to her deceitfully delicate fingers.

You're afraid of the likely possibility that you're drooling, so you gulp and run the back of your hand over your lips. For once, you're not on guarding duty, and neither is Rose, giving her the opportunity to wear the magnificent ball gown that suits her so well. It took Lissa ages to convince you and Rose to come as guests, but you have to admit the risk of Strigoi attack was shoved into the back of your mind as soon as you saw her standing across the room, unseen heels boosting her height.

Her dress lightly brushed the floor, the hoop-like skirt looking heavy. You can imagine Rose probably hates it, but she looks so stunning you can't bring yourself to care much. Besides, you think wryly in the back of your mind, she probably thinks the same as you in your uncomfortable suit and tie. You've come to learn over the years exactly what made her gaze turn lustful and sultry.

Rose laughs again, her face mirthful. Scanning the people around her, it's hard to say which one of her loved ones had the fortune to make her laugh, but you imagine it's the Queen, standing in a stunning, yet less extravagant, green sheath dress that showed a slip of leg through the cut in the side. The two laugh heartily and your mouth goes dry at the faint sound of chimes tinkling together that you can vaguely hear coming from your beloved's succulent mouth, lip gloss the only thing adorning it.

Eddie is beside you, a warming sad smile on his face. "She looks beautiful doesn't she?" he voices, flicking a glance your way. You feel a tentative smile cross your face. Eddie continues, "Who knew the little girl in the mud would grow up to be this dangerous." His voice is wistful, nostalgia plaguing his thoughts. With a grin he says, "She's certainly got you captivated."

You grumble out a mutter of defence, hoping Eddie was the only one who saw you so enamoured. The fellow guardian just chuckles and shakes his head, a bemused smile on his lips as he straightens his tie.

You see why when seconds later Rose emerges from the crowd, her smile etched with happiness. Good, you think. This party was made specifically to make her happy after all. She stands less than five feet away from you and you wonder why she doesn't come close, hovering on the precipice of anticipation. Eddie has disappeared into the crowd.

Rose's goofy smile floods her face and she stares at you expectantly. It isn't until the crowd around you starts to part that you understand what she's asking for, her sly brown eyes pulling you in, the laugh of an elf sounding throughout the room as she laughs.

"Well comrade?" she questions mischievously, hands placed mockingly on her trim waist. You take in the air around her, how it hums to life and how stares are riveted on the two of you in gentle smiles and warming hearts.

Taking your cue you take a few steps forward and hold your hand out into the space between you. "Would you care for a dance?" you smile teasingly.

Rose laughs but takes your hand anyway and you whisk her into the crowd, the whole room stopping to watch the two of you light up the room with your fancy swirls and dips, entranced by the ever present smile's lighting up your faces.

The two of you have captured the whole ballroom's attention, their stares drilling into you with awe. For once, you don't mind their stares. Your focus is entirely on Rose, who laughs and laughs as you spin her around again and again.


	39. Impossible

Hello! Thank you for all your amazing reviews; I'm glad to know you guys liked my second POV. I won't be writing it much but when I do I hope to impress you all again ;) Happy reading! I think you'll like this one ;)

**Summary **They didn't think it was possible. So they'd completely disregarded what that guy in Bloodlines had said. Not their brightest moment of insight, that's for sure.

**POV** Third

39

Sweat dampened the most intimate of places and Rose groaned, expletives exiting her mouth. Her muscles ached, wishing for a break so they could just relax. The guardian continued to pant, the strain growing worse and worse.

"Fuck!"

Dimitri glanced up from tying his shoe laces, raising an amused eyebrow. Rose lay moaning on the ground, a large armchair precariously tipped on its side. "Fuuuuuuucck…" she continued to groan.

Dimitri chuckled, rising from his spot crouched on their newly placed wooden floors. Walking the few steps over to her spot clutching her foot, her stared down at her in amusement, the silent question being asked in the subtle curve of his lips.

"I fucking dropped it on my fooooooooootttt." Rose whined, rolling her head back to stare up at her partner.

Dimitri spared a glance at the armchair he'd delegated Rose to carry. Surely it wasn't that heavy. He'd been listening to her moan about its weight all the way up the stairwell, and while usually he might've carried it for her, he'd noticed her aversion to heavy lifting lately. The mentor side of his brain had immediately clicked into action and wanted to tap that out of her. His prized student needed to excel in everything.

"_Yes _it is that fucking heavy comrade," Rose hissed at him, swinging forward into a sitting position. Dimitri sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Roza hadn't been in the best of moods with him lately, probably because he'd gone all 'zen master' on her, as she put it.

He crouched down by the chair, lifting it up with a heft. Standing there testing its weight, Dimitri sent a raised eyebrow in Rose's direction. "It's not that heavy."

Rose gives him a murderous look. She _really _wasn't happy with him lately. "That's because I had to carry it up seven motherfucking flights of stairs."

Dimitri could feel the hole she was burning into his face as acutely as he felt a particularly annoying strand of hair dangling near his nose. He twitched, placing the chair down and re-tying his hair. Rose watched him silently, still clutching her supposedly injured foot.

With a chuckle, Dimitri met her gaze. She was pouting, although her glare was as prominent as ever. To make amends, the Russian knelt down beside her, picking her foot up to cradle it in his lap. Carefully, and slowly, he eased her sneakers off, slowly peeling the sock away with it. Immediately he winced at the sight of her foot.

Already the toe was turning purple. He gently grazed his fingers over her heel in an attempt to soothe her. Slowly, Dimitri raked his eyes over her form, noting the way she hunched slightly and the way her tank top stretched tight over her stomach despite the loose fabric. She was pale and looked like she was about to be sick.

"Roza," Dimitri smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear, worry etched into his being, "Are you alright?"

Rose squeezed her eyes shut, tightly clenching her stomach. When she opened them again it was to stare directly into his eyes with a determined face.

"I'm pregnant."


	40. Deja Vu

Heyo! Thank you for your amazing reviews; I think there was only one that didn't ask for a part two! XD When I'd originally written chapter 39 I hadn't planned on a sequel but because you guys are so eager I have written it :P Unfortunately for you guys, we have to go through all the other ones I've written before it first. With this one however, at the end, keep in mind that Christian is only like six and although he literally witnessed his parent's murder, he wouldn't really have processed it until afterwards. Happy reading!

**Summary **Tasha knows his feelings all too well.

**POV **Third

40

Tasha peeked over the side of the door, the lamp light from the living room casting her face in shadows. A bird plushie was clutched tightly in her left fist, a large quilt blanket draped over her shoulders and trailing the ground. She was gnawing on her thumb nail, her face pinched in worry.

Sixteen year old Lucas sat on their family's red corduroy couch, his elbows leaning on his knees and his head laying in his hands. His face was shadowed, the weak lamp light casting a soft yellow tinge around the room.

Tasha took a tentative step forward, eyebrows furrowed in worry, her shoulder lightly bumping her door and causing it to squeak in the silent house. She silently watched in concern as her big brother jumped, his shoulders tensing and fists clenching in apprehension.

He swivelled around to find her standing there and his expression immediately softened but he hurriedly wiped at his cheeks before Tasha could get a good look at what was glistening on them. "Tasha…" he sighed in relief.

"Lucas…" the girl practically quivered, "Who was the strange man at the door?"

Lucas sighed heavily, his breath hitching half way through. "That was Moira's father. Do you remember Moira Tashie?"

Tasha nodded slowly, taking equally as slow steps towards her brother. She sat on his lap once she reached the couch, playing with the wings of her toy, having completely ignored the blanket as it caught on the floor and slipped off her shoulders. "That's your girlfriend right?"

Unbeknownst to his little sister, Lucas blushed. "N-no. Dad is-was- friends with her dad." He swallowed heavily, his voice going quiet.

It's not long before Tasha can feel her brother's arms snake around her waist and hug her tightly to his chest. The tears follow, soaking into her hair. Tasha squirms in his grasp, turning to face him. "Why was he here? Did he need to speak to Daddy? Cuz I haven't seen Daddy today. I think he's still at work. Do you know Lucas?"

Lucas lets his shaggy brown, almost black, hair shade his face before he flicks it out of the way and puts on the most reassuring smile he can muster. It didn't really work, as he still had tears streaming down his exhausted face. "Y-yeah Tash, I do know. D-dad… Dad's gone to work somewhere. And he'll be working for a very long time. Him and Mum-" his breath hitched and Lucas bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, "Him and Mum went on a really long business trip. So we're staying with Moira and her family for a long time."

Tasha frowned. "Okay."

For the rest of the night Lucas holds his sister tight to him, for once so thankful for her obliviousness, as she comforts him the way only a child can. Eventually she falls asleep in his grasp, droplets of tears still falling onto her face as her brother sobbed. "A really, really long business trip…" he whispers.

! #$%^&amp;*

Eight year old Tasha frowns fiercely at the sight before her. Through the opened doorway she could see two lumps wrapped tightly in each other's arms, both of them shirtless. The creak of the door causes the two to sit up abruptly, Moira immediately going to cover her chest with the sheets. "Tasha!" she gasps, eyes wide, "You're supposed to be in bed!"

But Tasha's lip just quivers. She glares vehemently at the pair. "My parents aren't really on a business trip are they?" she accuses, "They're dead."

Lucas and Moira's face softens before her brother edges himself off the bed. In just his jeans, he crouches in front of his little sister. Softly, he cups her tiny cherub face in his hands, rubbing circles on her cheeks with the pad of his thumbs. "Yes." He says softly, sadness coating his voice.

Tasha bursts into tears.

! #$%^&amp;*

Tasha stares down at the small boy sitting at her bedside. He stared up at her with tears in his eyes, his familiar crystals blue orbs gazing at the thick gauze around her cheek. She stared at him with a muted smile, unable to do anything more than a soft grin, both due to her injuries and the hazy drugs flowing through her blood from the needle poked into the back of her hand.

"Christian," she mouthed.

"Aunt Tasha," he quivered, balling his hands into fists. "Where are Mummy and Daddy?"

Tasha felt the tears stream down her face, the ache of déjà vu. It takes her all of her strength but all she manages to say is, "They're on a business trip."

It takes less than a week for him to figure out otherwise.


	41. Airport

Hey you guys! Long time no see… I am so sorry I haven't been able to update :( The thing is, my darling mother decided to get rid of the internet. So now I have to leech internet off my friends and the local library. Also, on another note, while writing this I had forgotten that Lehigh is only a few hours' drive away, but for the sake of the story, let's assume it's necessary for them to take a plane.

**Summary **It's weird for Christian to watch their farewells

**POV **Dimitri

41

I place a slowly lingering kiss on Rose's cheek, knowing it wasn't enough to satisfy her but hoping she would take it as a promise as to what was waiting for her at home. She almost tackled me in response, despite the two inches that separated us. Her arms wrapped tightly around me and I placed my head on the crown of her own, letting out a sigh as her scent enveloped me.

"Hurry home, okay Roza?" I mumbled, for her ears only. Her grip tightened around me, and I could just feel the stares of passer-by's drilling into our backs. The flight attendant holding up the line rolled her eyes, used to our adoring moments that held up the flight every few weeks. She was perhaps the only one irritated by it, other than maybe Christian, who stood awkwardly off to the side. His and Lissa's departures were quick and easy, like ripping off a Band-Aid. She always waited on the plane while Rose and I did just the opposite, drawing it out.

Other than that however, almost every woman, ranging from five to ninety five, stared at us with the classic 'awwww' plastered across their faces. You could practically hear their hearts melting and in the past a few had cried at our 'heartbreaking' goodbye. The men were a mixture of annoyed and envious, while there was almost always at least one or two with a fierce 'you go girl!' sort of continence about them.

Rose sucks in a deep breath before slowly unclasping her fingers from the deadlock she'd secured around my back. Tilting her head to look up at me, she said "Make sure none of those greenhorn guardian's trash Hans' office alright? They won't be able to pull it off without me."

I chuckle, placing a chaste kiss on her strawberry chap sticked lips before fixing her slightly askew beanie. "Of course Roza."

With a hesitating falter, Rose turned away from me, gripping her luggage before throwing a glance over her shoulder at me. I crossed my arms, my duster feeling too tight and constricting at the thought of her leaving. I push my worry aside, putting on a small smile for her sake. Seeing the expression cross my face, Rose gives a tentative smile back before showing the stewardess her ticket and walking into the narrow hallway that led to the plane.

I stand there for at least ten minutes before I truly register Christian's presence beside me. "You'd think it'd get easier with time," he muses.

I let out a small breath of air in lieu of agreement. It's not long before I feel his stare on the side of my face. Giving him a sideways glance, I notice his contemplative expression. I quirk an eyebrow, not finding it within me to want to break our companionable silence.

"Ya know… It's weird, you being the one to send Rose off."

Both of my eyebrows raise at this. Giving him an incredulous look, I open my mouth to protest but he interrupts me with an amused, slightly subdued smirk. "I just mean that a few years ago, I would've thought Mason Ashford would be the one getting to be all lovey-dovey with her."

I still at this, confused even as we begin to head towards the departure gates. "What do you mean?"

Christian shakes his head softly, the mood between us subdued and sombre, more so due to the fact we'd just said our farewells to our loved ones rather than our topic of discussion. "As a kid, everyone knew who Rose was. So by extension we all knew who she was close to, who her partners in crime were." Christian smiles wryly, "Mason was so completely enamoured with her, and even though towards our teenage years she started fooling around with the opposite sex, there was never really anyone that caught her eye before you. We, well I, just had always thought as a kid that Mason would be the lucky guy, the Ron Weasly that pushes himself out of the friend zone. And now… Well, that's not exactly how things turned out huh?"

I catch the slightly bitter look that flits across his face and can't help but wonder how much Mason's death might have affected Christian. From what I knew, they weren't particularly close. But it wouldn't be hard to imagine that the Moroi believed it was at least partially his fault that the novice had died.

I pull my lips in a grim line, clamping my hand on his shoulder. "He's in a better place now."

My words are so completely artificial and ignorant that Christian seemed more amused by my attempt at comfort then anything. He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head and we continue on. "He meant so much to Rose and that's all you can get out?"

His words sting, but I know this is just Christian's dark side coming out to play. Not for the first time, I have to wonder how broken the Spokane incident left those who'd been there. There were some psychological scars that only certain people could hope to help heal, and for Christian, at least at the moment, I wasn't one of those people.

"If it makes you feel any better, I held Rose for hours after he died." The comment is not funny, not in the slightest, yet Christian cracks up, his laughter turning heads as we exit the airport. Eventually I join in, although my laugh is not as maniacal.

That night we play cards and pool and strip poker, downing bottles of cheap alcohol and Russian Vodka like the messed up people we are.


	42. Wind Chime

Hey everyone! You know, I almost forgot about that happy 'squee' feeling I get whenever I log on to see reviews :) It's especially good when I recognise people from the Vampire Academy community, people whose own stories I might have read. I'm glad you guys all liked last chapter although I have to say, when it comes to thoughtful and profound plots, this one is a little pointless :P Oh and about the sequel to the pregnancy chapter (I was going to put a note about it in last chapter's AN but obviously I didn't) that will be the next chapter :) If all goes according to plan, it should be out tomorrow.

**Summary **She never knew such a cutesy little thing could be so annoying.

**POV **Third.

42

Rose stares in a strange hybrid mix of wonder and frustration at the wind chime. It had multiple shards of glass and mirrors hanging off it, with beads and thread and feathers mixed in. Overall it was very beautiful.

Which was possibly why Rose wanted to burn it. This was when she really needed Sparky. But no. He had to be all the way back home at Court with _her _delicious hot hunk of man candy. Life. Was. Not. Fair.

The brunette groaned loudly, causing several of the patrons in the café to stare sidelong at her. The woman herself was not an odd site. Rose frequented this particular café quite a lot, especially since she'd taken Dimitri out to eat here and he'd burned his tongue that one time. But it was just the new accessory glittering by the window that was truly a new site for sore eyes.

Now of course, Rose always sat by the window at the front of the shop. When she was alone. Majority of the time however, Lissa was with her. Which meant no basking in the sun. Today was one of such days and the pair sat in the back of the room, where each point of entry was on full display and, conveniently, was also the best seat for the café's WiFi.

And normally a silly little charm shining in the sun would not bother her. No, it was just a cute little ornament, one Lissa would probably force either her or Christian to help make in some crazy DIY. But the fact of the matter was, both the door and the window were open, bringing in a warm pleasant breeze. It lightly rustled the wind chime, letting its harmonious music fill the café…

Harmonious my ass, Rose scowls bitterly.

Letting out another groan, Rose repeatedly mimes bangs her head against the tomb stone like book placed precariously on the table in front of her. Lissa rolls her eyes and relocates the coffee cup that had been dangerously close to the edge.

"Really Rose," Lissa chastises gently, "I don't see what's getting you so worked up."

Rose scrounges her head up from where she'd decided to finally lay still on her book, giving her queen a deadpan look. "You don't see?" she drawls, raising her eyebrows overdramatically. Lissa just raises one of her own in return. "It's that stupid wind chime!"

The blonde's expression remains inquisitive, her emerald eyes only briefly flicking over to the object in question. "What about it?"

Rose moans, squirming in her seat before dragging her hands across her face in exasperation. "I can _not _concentrate on _this, _" here she gestures to the books and notebooks surrounding their quaint little table, "with that stupid thing chiming in my head!"

Lissa slowly glances around them, giving little grins to the severely weirded out customers staring at them in bewilderment. "Rose," she manages with gritted teeth, "Keep it down!"

The royal guardian grips her temples with her hands, showing off the bright italic 'R's painted on her nails in bright orange, with a background of midnight blue, the result of Ambrose visiting. "My head…" she gurgles. "Studying hurts my head…"

Lissa grins, reaching into her knapsack conspiringly, retrieving a small silver flask. Rose glances up at her friend and, at seeing the offended object in hand, groans even louder, sinking her head into her arms as cushions. "What are you doing?"

Lissa frowns, glancing around them quickly before pouring a small amount into her coffee. At Rose's gaping look that peeked through her arms, the queen sniffs slightly. "What? I miss my boyfriend. I need something to cope."

Rose sighs, muffling a small laugh. "What a pair we are…" she mumbles.

Lissa takes a large gulp of her drink before letting out a discontent sigh. "I know Rose. I didn't think I'd miss Christian so much either." The blonde lets out a hearty laugh, "This is only our third week of Lehigh and already we're cracking under the pressure."

"I just wanna go home." Rose whines into her arms.

Lissa's frown deepened. "I wonder how they're coping without us."

Rose tilted her head up to look at the blonde. "I bet Sparky's burned something already and the council are full on torturing him while you're not there to save him," she smirks slightly.

Lissa rolls her eyes, "Oh yeah? Well I bet Dimitri's destroyed at least ten boxing bags and three people's legs."

The girls have a mock glaring contest before they burst into giggles. It doesn't last long, as Rose puts her hand up in an attempt to rub away the ever present headache. Lissa just discreetly adds more alcohol to her coffee from the almost empty canister before she takes a swig of the hot beverage.

The wind chime blows softly interrupting the somewhat serene moment and making Rose want to stab it with her stake.


	43. Father

Heya! Thanks for all the reviews, once again :P I think you guys will like this one :3 It's the sequel to chapter 39, Impossible.

**Summary **Dimitri's reaction is adorable and it makes Rose's heart melt.

**POV **Third

43

He stares at her in shock, although to others his face had merely moulded itself into its standard one- namely the classic guardian mask. But Rose could see straight through it.

Dimitri gives a nervous chuckle, turning away from her and standing up. From his position, a perfect slant of sunlight filtered through the large window behind him, highlighting his hair and the candescent dust motes floating through the air.

Dimitri just quickly clast a glance at his beloved. "Y-you're joking right?" he tried to give her a small smile, as if what she'd just implied wasn't going to change their whole lives.

Rose sought out eye contact with him, locking gazes with those soulful brown eyes of his that almost pleaded with her. Taking in a shaky breath, the brunette gave him a watery smile. "Nope. It's true. I'm pregnant."

Dimitri took a few small steps to clutch the back of the arm chair Rose had dropped on her foot minutes before. His long, large fingers were turning white at the grip he had on the furniture. His mouth was parted, and suddenly Dimitri felt parched.

Rose regarded him from her spot on the floor somewhat warily. Well. That didn't come out the way she wanted it to. She was supposed to reveal that to him while they were doing something romantic, not after he'd noted she looked like shit. Well, he didn't say that exactly, because Dimitri was too polite and too nice and loved her too much to say something like that. Besides wasn't she supposed to be glowing or some shit?

Rose let out a breath, a strand of her hair blowing wildly in front of her face. Then, with a grunt and some manoeuvring so as to avoid any pressure on her bruised foot, Rose stood up. Shuffling awkwardly over to the arm chair, Rose put a hand on it to steady herself.

Dimitri's bangs, which seemed to always find a way to release themselves from his pony tail, covered his face due to the way he tilted his head down to look at his hands. Rose watched attentively as he took in heaving breaths and his chest moved rapidly up and down.

Rose stayed still in her spot, even as Dimitri took another few steps back until his hip hit the kitchen counter and tilted his head so that it faced the ceiling. Before Rose could catch a glimpse of his expression, Dimitri ran his hands over his face slowly, linking his hands together behind his neck. He let out a slow breath before sinking to the floor.

Leaning his back against the surface behind him and placing his elbows on his arched knees, Dimitri said, in a small, almost unnoticeable quiver, "Come here."

Rose tentatively headed towards her beau, kneeling down on the floor. She placed herself down between his legs, loving how he immediately adjusted themselves so that she was straddling him. Rose closed her eyes, her forehead warming when Dimitri placed his own against hers.

When he placed a soft, tender kiss to her lips, she opened her eyes again. By then he'd already rested his head in the crook of her neck. She could feel the large, all-consuming smile against her skin, one that overtook his face and brought an equally large smile to her own face as he said, with a tenderness and vulnerability that warmed her heart, "I'm gonna be a father."


	44. Broken Glass

Hey you guys! I got so many reviews for last chapter; I'm glad you liked it! Here's the next one :P (Haha I should really be studying for my science test or writing my biographical narrative but I love you guys too much)

**Summary **Every couple fights, sometimes about the little things, and other times about the big stuff. Lissa could only assume this one was a big one.

**POV **Third

44

Loud voices. Tightened faces. Tension-racked bodies. Tears.

They exaggeratedly throw their arms around, in each other's faces, and close enough to see the tears glimmering in each other's eyes. One of them starts to sob, so strongly that her body convulses. Her companion takes in a shuddering breath, shaking hands clutching his hair so tightly his terrified expression was omnipresent to all the non-existent people occupying their room.

She shouts even louder at him now, her hands clenched into tight fists. Any regretted words on the man's part are forgotten and his lips tighten, jaw clenching. It is silent for all of three seconds before he says something quiet, so quiet the woman almost thinks she's misheard him.

Any composure she might have had completely cracks, and she lashes out furiously. Her voice reaches a crescendo the man doesn't think he's ever heard from his lover, high pitched to the point you'd think he'd killed someone. Her succulent mouth moves at a rapid, fast paced speed no lip reader would be able to comprehend. All the while tears streak her face.

Finally she stops, sucking in a deep breath, before pivoting on her foot and storming towards the door. The man grinds his teeth before opening his mouth to say something, eyes cold and hard as steel. Whatever he says stops his lover momentarily and she looks over her shoulder to glare at him, lips pressed tightly in a mix between a grimace and a scowl.

She wipes at her tear stained face before asking a heated question. It's one the man freezes at, turning his head to glare at the floor. He refuses to answer her, even when she repeats her question over and over again, her voice raising in pitch and volume every time.

Eventually the only noise in the almost empty room is the sound of the man's heavy breathing, the slam of a door echoing in his ears. He slumps into the couch behind him, clenching his fists at his knees.

He reaches out to the Russian alcohol lying on the coffee table in front of him, gripping its neck tightly. He goes to unscrew the lid but before he musters the courage, his conscience stops him. It doesn't stop him, however, from throwing it as hard as he can so it smashes brilliantly against a nearby wall. The liquid runs down the newly painted walls like blood, and the man brings a fist up to his mouth and bites into it hard enough to break skin, his long hair, loose from its usual pony tail, hovering over his tearful eyes.

Two days later the pair find themselves again, and they reconcile in an embarrassingly public way. They are on opposite sides of a heavily crowded room and they'd need only catch each other's eye before the female was rushing across the room to leap into his arms. They ended up meeting half way and they clung to each other until they could speak without a wavering in their voices, which took at least five minutes.

He whispered sweet nothings and fierce everything's in her ear, and the woman, usually so hard to bring down, began to cry quietly, her tears soaking into his hair due to her raised position with her legs wrapped around his waist.

The woman's most popular confidante, a beautiful blonde whom she'd been staying with the past two days, gave them a gentle smile and an afternoon off from whatever she'd gathered them for.

They'd quickly made haste to their home and had gone to the bedroom, clinging tightly to each other the whole way. They lay facing each other with bodies intertwined for a long time after that, never letting go of each other.

And although that was sure to come later, the only sexual conceptions between the two were the feather light kisses placed across each other's faces, and the little nose rubs and when they gently played with each other's hair.

They talked and talked for hours, eventually settling into a burning, slow love making session that left each other feeling so sated and loved, neither could bring themselves to sleep after and so they merely talked endlessly until dawn.

Eventually they fell asleep wrapped tightly in each other's arms, neither knowing who's eyes fluttered closed first, just knowing that when they woke up again it would be to each other's beautiful selves.

Whispered love. Soft skin against skin. Calming, intermingled words. Smiles.


	45. Sexual Tension

Hey you guys :) Thank you for all the amazing reviews, I love you guys! Here's the next chapter, it's a prequel of sorts to chapter 12, Technology.

**Summary **Eddie was all for getting Hans a tie for his birthday, but no, they had to give him something he'd actually like.

**POV **Third

45

Eddie's eye twitches.

It was hard really. Really fricken hard. His eyebrow twitches again and his hand involuntarily tightens around his pencil, threatening to break it.

It was the eyes. That must be it. They seemed to beckon to each other, with a lusty undertone that made you wonder if they were undressing each other with theirs eyes. He wouldn't be surprised. They'd seen each other naked enough times that they probably had each other memorised.

Eddie let out an aggravated sigh and wondered how in the hell he'd missed this back in the Academy. It was so _obvious._ He almost felt bad, like he'd kicked a puppy, but he mostly felt annoyed. Scanning his eyes around the office, he had to wonder whose great idea this was. Whoever it was, he'd join in on the pulverising. Eddie knew for a matter of fact Dimitri would back him up on that idea.

'Cuz depriving Dimitri and Rose of sex was a crime. Eddie was not even joking. It'd only been almost two weeks since some dipshit had suggested Hans' birthday present be Rose and Dimitri's chastity. Worst idea ever.

The couple were on opposite sides of the room. Dimitri was waiting next to the door that led into the indoor gym, visible from the office due to a large floor to ceiling window. His arms were crossed, hair tied back and he wore gym attire, obviously waiting for his beau. His eyes however, indicated he was waiting on her in a completely different way. They were heavy lidded and lust filled, following every miniscule move Rose made.

Rose was sitting at a desk with a stack of papers on it, ready to be signed by her. She did so lazily, taking her time on a task she'd normally mow through to glance up every so often and tempt her boyfriend with her eyes, which were equally heavy lidded and lusty. She kept crossing and uncrossing her legs, bringing Dimitri's attention to the skin tight leggings she wore. Not only that, but she'd applied lip gloss to her lips at least five times in the past five minutes. Eddie knew the signs she exhibited basically screamed 'fuck me!', added with the way she leaned across the desk to get another piece of paper, letting anyone who was watching get a glimpse of her impressive cleavage.

Eddie glared a hole in his own documents. He was perhaps the only male in the room _not _physically attracted to Rose. This made the sexual tension in the room even more unbearable, particularly because he knew Rose wasn't intentionally trying to arouse anyone. This was just how she acted when she needed to get laid. It was annoying as fuck, particularly for someone like him, practically her brother.

The guardian tapped his fingers monotonously against his desk. He couldn't wait for them to finally give in. He was definitely Team Dimitri in this endeavour. Eddie watched in annoyance as Rose sensually stood up, walking towards the gym and therefore, Dimitri. He noticed, as did every other male in the room, the slight sway of her hips, even more obvious when she was sexually frustrated.

'_Just fuck already!'_ Eddie yelled in his mind.

The two exited the room into the gym and Eddie exhaled as the sexual tension left the room, breathing suddenly becoming much easier. He noticed the old pervs in the room slump in disappointment.

He also noticed how they all perked up in their seats when Dimitri and Rose suddenly became visible through the window, helping each other stretch. Eddie groaned, cursing them and wishing they'd gone to any other gym than the one he was in. He was going to choke on their sexual tension, even if they were in another room.

They were like a walking porn movie waiting to happen, Eddie scowled.


	46. Daffodils

Hey you guys! I'm glad you all sympathised with Eddie :') Thanks for the reviews, you guys are great! I hope you guys like this chapter, cuz I'm sick right now :( And I'm not at school because of that, which makes me feel bad because it's only the first week back for me…

**Summary **Dimitri can tell if she needs some cheering up before she's even walked in the door.

**POV **Rose

46

I scowled heavily as I trudged up the steps of my apartment building. Clutched in my hands were two bottles of milk, which had made my hands numb as soon as I'd left the store. Such a miniscule detail put a heavy damper on my already horrible mood. It seemed the world was out to get me today.

When I went to sleep last night, I already knew I'd have an awful day ahead of me. Lissa and I had to pay a visit to some stuffy royal's house after all, and the only thing I had to do after that was paper work, and a crap tonne of paperwork there was.

Instead of just these events happening, Lissa and I were forced to take the royal's visiting son out on a tour of Court. This kid was a slobbering hormonal dog. An arrogant son of a bitch, he reckoned he could woo us into a threesome. This ended up with me barely restraining myself from breaking his jaw, and Lissa and I were severely irritated by the end of that excursion.

That event almost made me look forward to my looming stack of paperwork. But no. Instead, some newbie guardian decided to challenge me to a duel. Now, normally I wouldn't be so sour about this. But I was already in a bad mood and after I'd wiped the floor with this guy, he decided it was a smart idea to mock my relationship with Dimitri. He did this as I was helping him off the floor, so right when I was going to drop him on his sorry ass, he twisted my fingers into a dislocated mess.

I clenched my jaw as I remembered that particular titbit. The milk in my hand aggravated my wound yet was serving as an icepack as well. Taking the last two steps to reach my floor, because of course the elevator broke as well, I almost sighed in relief. Soon. I was almost home. If Dimitri didn't have dinner on the stove and a massive bear hug ready, I don't know what I would do.

Stopping in front of my door, I placed one of the milk cartons onto the floor to root around in my pocket for my keys. I dropped them, cursing all the way. Eventually I managed to unlock the door, dragging the milk cartons in after me and placing them right inside the door, deciding I needed a hug now and to deal with the dairy later.

I looked up, closing the door behind me. "I'm home-"

The sight in front of me stopped me in my tracks. Dimitri stood there in his duster, like usual. But clutched in his hand and outstretched towards me was a beautiful bouquet of daffodils. I gaped at him.

Instead of explaining his intentions, Dimitri's eyes immediately narrowed in on my bruised and swelling hand. Striding the one or two steps needed to reach me, Dimitri reached his unoccupied hand to take my injured one in his. I winced, even though he'd tried to be delicate. "What happened?" his tone is sharp, but I notice the worry laced heavily through his voice. His hand is nice and warm and large against my own, a welcome contrast to the milk.

I merely sighed, already feeling better just because he was there, even as my curiosity peaked at the flowers still clutched in his hand. "It was nothing. I'll give you the gory details later." I eye the bouquet with a teasing smirk, "What's that for?"

Dimitri doesn't blush, not quite, but he does drop my hand and stare off to the side in embarrassment. It makes my heart swell with affection. "For you," he murmurs, peeking at me from under his thick eyelashes. "I wanted to make your day better."

I practically melt. Any omnipotent feelings I'd been having vanish from my thoughts and I can't help walking up to my beau and wrapping my arms around his waist. Dimitri responds in kind, placing his chin on the crown of my head and subsequently tucking me safely against him. His arms go around me and I can feel the pollen from the flowers cling to the fabric of my tank top. They itch my bare arms slightly but I don't mind.

I inhale deeply, content. I can smell his delicious scent vividly, and this time it's intermingled with the scent of daffodils. "It worked." I mumbled against his shirt.

Dimitri chuckled lightly and I suddenly don't want to let go. He was so, so amazing. I'd had such a terrible day and all it took was a cutesy bouquet to make everything better. "I love you, you know."

Dimitri hummed lightly and the sound vibrated throughout me. He leaned down to murmur in my ear, "Let's get that hand cleaned up, alright?"

As he pulled away to lead me towards the kitchen, I caught a flash of protectiveness in his eyes. It was intense, fierce and I took the daffodils out of his hand once we got to the kitchen. I skirted around Dimitri as he tried to take my hand in his, instead grabbing a vase to put my flowers in.

I stepped back to admire them. They made me feel at peace.

This was what it meant to come home every day. I felt an ear splitting smile cross my face. I think I liked that idea.


	47. (Un)Dress

Hey you guys :) I'm glad you all liked last chapter, although this one takes a turn to the saucier side ;) It's sort of a sequel to the chapter titled Zipper and Underwear.

Also, I'd like to ask for everyone's opinion. Recently I got a PM from one of you guys, saying I should enter this story into the competition they're having at a website called Inkitt. If I win I'll get a chance to get this story published, but there are a few things that make me uncertain. First of all, this story isn't finished, and there is no way I'd have it finished by the deadline. Second of all, this is a drabble series and their asking for a novel. Would this story even count? What do you guys think?

**Summary **Rose and Dimitri decide to get frisky after coming home from a fancy event.

**POV** Third

47

"Dimitri!"

He flicked a glance to the bedroom where his name had been called from, stopping in his efforts to untie his tie, leaving it dangling around his neck. Slipping through the partially opened bathroom door, he chuckled at the sight before him.

Rose was trying, in vain, to unzip the back of her dress. It seemed to be caught. Dimitri slowly walked up behind her and took the zip from her grasp, smoothly gliding his free hand up her leg until he reached her waist. "Yes Rose?" he whispered in her ear.

Rose gave him a sultry look and she reached behind her to drag him closer to her body. "Help," is all she said.

Dimitri suavely pulled her zip down, pulling Rose's dress taught when it met resistance. Part of the dark maroon fabric that had been caught was yanked out of the way and her dress zipper smoothly slipped down. It revealed her creamy backside, devoid of any bra for once.

Dimitri licked his lips and gulped loudly at the sight, thinking of the chilly wind that would have nipped at her breasts. He brought a hand up to flit his thumb across said appendage, eliciting a startled moan from his partner. Rose suddenly started giggling, even as Dimitri brought his mouth to her bare skin and found a spot on her neck to suckle.

"What is it?" he murmured distractedly against her skin. It sent chills down her spine.

Rose breathed in deeply as he continued his ministrations, reaching up to drag her hair out from its restraining bun. "I just remember an incident similar to this… At the Academy…"

Dimitri hummed into her skin, relocating his hands so that one snaked through the slit left by the zipper on her back and found her breast. His other hand stayed on the outside layer of her dress, rubbing sensual circles on her hip with the fabric only causing more friction.

Rose gasped, cinching her eyes shut at the pleasure. With a weak smirk she tried to regain her train of thought, "You know…. When you had to go get me a bra and stuff…. Because you'd ripped my jacket open…"

Dimitri growled predatorily, swirling her around so that Rose was pushed flush against his body. "I remember that…" his eyes were dark with want and apprehension. Rose used his tie to pull them even closer, moulding their lips together. "I had a very good dream that night…" he said huskily when they broke apart.

Rose gasped as he nipped at her neck again, loving his words. Dimitri was never much of a dirty talker and she hardly got him to speak of such things. It was moments like this, in moments of passion that he would tell her things like this. Maybe it's because he knew her arousal for him flared whenever he spoke of such things. "About… me?" she managed to get out. She already knew the answer of course.

Rose could feel him smirk against her neck as he lifted her so that her legs wrapped around his waist. Her dress slipped down even lower. A hand on her lower back steadied her and set fire to her bare skin at the same time as Dimitri led them to the bed. "I'll show you exactly what I dreamed about Roza…" he murmured against her lips.


	48. Pamper

Hey you guys! Thanks for all your awesome reviews! For those of you curious, I decided against putting this story into the Inkitt competition. Mostly because I don't think it's worth the trouble it could cause. I hope you enjoy!

**Summary **She seemed to treat him as the gay best friend whenever she needed pampering.

**POV **Third

48

"-and he just doesn't seem to understand that-"

Ambrose listened on as Rose rambled with a smile on his face. He made sure each stroke of the tiny brush in his hands caressed her toe nails evenly, coating them with a sliver, glittery varnish. He'd just finished giving her poor, swollen feet a nice massage and sea salt scrub. "You need that man to treat you more Rose." He interrupted calmly, a wise look on his face as Rose peered down at him from where he sat practically lavishing her feet.

"Huh?" She blinked. Ambrose chuckled lightly, charmed by her obliviousness.

"Why exactly am _I _the one pampering you, when that's what that useless man of yours should be doing?" He sounded slightly irritated, rightly so. It was his day off and yet as soon as he'd woken up Ambrose had found a million missed calls from the woman, demanding he spend the day pampering her.

Rose just grinned at him, wiggling her toes. Ambrose grumbled in consternation and grabbed at her feet to keep them still. "Because Dimitri sucks at painting my toes. I was complaining to Karolina about that the other day actually, and she said that when they were children he always spilled her nail polish, so he wasn't allowed to practice on them in the end. That's why he sucks at it now."

Ambrose rolled his eyes. "Because naturally you assumed he'd be good at it to begin with."

Rose pouted at him and couldn't help saying, "Well it's not like you could say no to me anyway."

Ambrose sighed, resisting another eye roll. Rose's grin increased, and her hand's automatically gravitated towards her swollen stomach. "You can't even see your toes…" he grumbled, failing to hide a small smile.

Rose laughed outright at this. "Exactly! Dimitri Junior has gotten so big I can't tell if my toes look grotesque or anything."

Ambrose tsked at the brunette, swiping the last toe with varnish. "There. Finished."

Rose was the one who rolled her eyes this time, stating, "I'm not a complete invalid you know. Although I can't see them, I can tell this nail polish will wear away by the time I go into labour." Rose quickly reached a foot out and tapped him on the forehead, "Put the clear stuff on it."

Ambrose sighed. "You really are high maintenance." Nonetheless, he grabbed the clear extra-strength varnish in preparation for when her nails dried.

Rose laughed again, the glow of pregnancy surrounding her like an ethereal veil. "Hey, my kid's first impression of my toes needs to be a good one!"


	49. Stetson

Hey guys! Thanks for all the great reviews! I've wanted to do one like this for a while, but the one after this I really like. Enjoy!

**Summary **She would have bought a matching one for herself, but damn were they expensive!

**POV **Third

49

She giggled and Dimitri tried to hide his smile at her hysterics.

Rose continued to laugh, rolling forward onto her knees as laughter poured out of her mouth as thickly as honey. The grass was itchy against her bare knees, her bike shorts providing a minimal amount of coverage from the sweet summer breeze.

Dimitri just pressed two of his fingers to his forehead from his spot stretched out next to her, one arm propping his head up. His hand covered his barely contained grin from his beloved, because he knew if he started laughing he wouldn't be able to stop.

Rose threw her head back to laugh at the trees filtering sunlight above them, keeping her toned arms wrapped around her stomach as if holding a stitch. "I can't believe it," she gasps out.

"It looks so good on you!"

Just saying it out loud causes the laughter to start flowing out of her even more, and Dimitri dimly wonders if that was even possible. "Just… Just one more thing," she giggles ushering for him to sit in front of her.

Dimitri pulls his weight forward, sitting up, before turning slightly and positioning his legs to sit cross legged in front of her. Rose smirks, letting him tuck a strand of wayward hair behind her ear before leaning forward, grateful for once that the giant had thought to slouch to let her reach, and tweaking the Stetson cowboy hat he wore so that it no longer sat crookedly.

"Perfect!"

Finally, when her laughter subsided, Rose crawled forward with a content smile and flopped down, resting her head in her beau's lap. Dimitri in return began massaging soothing circles into her scalp, and the brunette had to resist purring at the calming sensation. "Mmmhh," she sighed instead. "You're good at this."

Dimitri chuckled, his eyes softening and crinkling at the corners. He leaned down and his hair made a curtain between them, his Stetson miraculously staying in place. Slowly, he closed the distance between them, Rose putting a hand up to cup his cheek. Their kiss lasted for a long time, slow and like fire and ice.

As Dimitri's lips lovingly moved and placed varying amounts of pressure on her top and bottom lip, Rose could feel warm all throughout her body, her toes curling. Eventually, they released each other, holding eye contact as Dimitri slowly pulled away. Rose blinked first, closing her eyes after and relishing in the feel of his long, strong fingers scraping her scalp in a continuous movement.

When Rose woke up in his lap a few hours later, she couldn't help giggling. He too had fallen asleep, his head leaning awkwardly on his closed fists that leaned against his knees to prevent him bashing heads with Rose while they slept. And, his adorable black cowboy hat, had fallen over his face so that it covered his eyes and his nose was the only thing keeping it up.

The guardian laughed, suddenly and unexpectedly feeling eager for winter, when Dimitri would be able to wear both the Stetson _and _his duster.


	50. Grey

Hey guys! Sorry I've taken so long to update but I've had a lot going on lately. From school trips to exams and finding out I'm going to New Zealand next year… Geez. Thanks for your reviews though! You guys are awesome :) Hope you enjoy!

**Summary **He wanted to revert back to those times she spoke so fondly of.

**POV **Third

50

"Hey Mase."

He smiles at her cheekily as she kneels down on the dew speckled grass in front of him, "Rose, you know your jeans will get all wet if you sit on the grass." Mason almost chastises, chuckling lightly.

Rose just grins at him softly, a nostalgic look on her wistful face. "Remember that time we spray painted crop circles on the oval?"

The red haired teenager snickers, leaning on familiar grey stone. "We had to run laps for so long after that, all because Camille dobbed on us when Eddie wouldn't go behind the tree and kiss her." Mason rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

Rose sighed, leaning her elbow on her knee, "It's weird to think we were only thirteen at the time." Rose's eyes go misty, a watery smile quirking her lips. At her reaction Mason stiffens, his eyes going hard.

"No," he says.

Rose bows her head so he can't see her tears, her long, silky hair covering her face. "I miss you." Her voice wobbles.

Mason bites down on his lip harshly, shaking his head, "But I'm right here."

The brunette rubs the heel of her hand into her eye to rid it of tears and starts to stand up. "Sorry I couldn't stay long today. I'll bring flowers next time,"

Mason clenches his fists by his side, feeling his throat tighten. "No!"

But Rose turns around and heads back the way she came from, her long, wavy hair swaying in the breeze. "No," he whispers again, bowing his head, "Don't go."

Mason steps away from the grave stone he was leaning against, extending an arm out to the woman, "Don't go!"

Slowly, Mason's arm withers back to his side, pain reflecting in his haunted eyes as he stands in Rose's previous spot. He turns around bit by bit, fingers ghosting over the inscription on the stone.

_Here lies Mason Ashford…_


	51. Mood Swings

Hey guys! Sorry I took so long to update, I was on holidays :P Thank you for all your reviews! I wish I was posting a sad drabble though, because listening to the song Kiss It All Better (by He is We) always makes me cry T.T Like right now. But I hope you enjoy! Btw... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE :) :) :)

**Summary **She didn't always want his help.

**POV **Third

51

Rose reaches for the top shelf, standing on her tip toes and grabbing futilely for the jar of peanuts mere inches from her fingertips.

Now, normally, the brunette would just climb on top of the bench (that is, if Dimitri didn't get it for her first. But that wasn't exactly an option right now…). However, her large, pregnant belly prevented her from such a thing.

The opened shelf door squeaks in the quiet night and Rose freezes, straining her ears for signs of her partner's footsteps. She stands in that frozen position for a full minute before deeming it safe to continue in her efforts, a quiet sigh of relief escaping her.

Dimitri would kill her if he found her straining herself like this. Hell, Rose already knew she was on a time limit. He thought she'd gotten up to go pee, as she often did lately. He woke up every time she tried leaving with him unawares, and he never fell back asleep until she was safely in his arms again.

With a frustrated cry at yet another failed attempt to get her craved food, Rose did a little jump to reach the glass jar. Not actually expecting to touch it, the pregnant woman flinched in shock when she just lightly tipped it over the edge.

The jar crashed to the floor, missing Rose's feet by inches, but creating a minefield of shattered glass around the bare-foot woman. Almost immediately, Dimitri appeared outside their bedroom door, striding toward the kitchen with purpose. "Rose?" he called out, worry etched in his voice.

Soon he was close enough to see Rose's guilty expression. She was still frozen in that one spot, unable to move lest she injure herself. Dimitri's eyes softened at her vulnerable look before flashing dangerously at the shards of glass and scattered peanuts lying messily on the kitchen floor.

He sighed, pushing his hair out of his face. "Just let me put some shoes on."

Sure enough, he came back thirty seconds later wearing the bunny slippers Christian had bought him for Christmas. Rose had the matching pair in their bedroom. Dimitri had found them very amusing.

Carefully making his way towards his beau, Dimitri gave Rose a chastising look when he stood right in front of her. "What have you done now Rose?" his voice was exasperated, but Rose knew he was mostly worried that she could have hurt herself or their unborn baby. Nevertheless, she felt her hormones react negatively.

She clenched her jaw, looking away in childish anger. "I was getting myself some food."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow at this, "Why didn't you just let me go get it? Then you could have avoided this whole shenanigan."

Rose groaned loudly at this. "Comrade, do you not get it? I don't _need _you!"

Dimitri flinched at this, and immediately Rose wishes she could take it back. "I can get my own damn peanuts…" she mumbled, raising her arms in a childlike manner that asked if she could be picked up. Dimitri did so, picking her up bridal style as easily as he had when she wasn't eight months pregnant.

With a pout, Rose looked at Dimitri apologetically. When he quirked his lips slightly and placed a tender kiss to the corner of her mouth, Rose knew she'd been forgiven.

Still, when he traced his eyes over her body with affection clear in his eyes, Rose couldn't help but blurt out, "You think I look like a heffa don't you? A massive cheese block? Just an ugly cow!"

Dimitri hurried to calm her fears but it just made her start to cry about what a hormonal bitch she was, and how she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't love her anymore. And on and on she went.

Poor Dimitri.


	52. Black Bread

Heeeeeeeey guuuyyyssss. Haven't seen you in a while…. Sorry about that… Life got in the way and all that… And guys omg, I have a job! It is not fun in the slightest but hey, what are ya gonna do? I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and thanks for all your reviews :)

**Summary** Dimitri is not, in fact, impervious to annoying guardians.

**POV **Third

52

Dimitri exhaled loudly, almost violently.

He was _angry_. So very, very angry. He couldn't fucking stand these new guardians. They were immature, selfish, _annoying._ He understood Rose's frequent vexation with them quite clearly.

Dimitri sucked a frustrated breath of air through his teeth, digging his fingers into his loose hair and gripping the roots violently enough he was surprised none actually came out. The trip to the apartment he shared with Rose couldn't be any longer, and Dimitri could feel the anger coiling in his stomach stick itself to him like an annoying parasite.

He didn't feel particularly excited to be going home to his favourite person, mostly because he didn't want her to see him in such a pissed off state. But there was nothing he could really do about it, because it definitely did not feel like he would regain his composure by the time he got home, and he couldn't avoid going home altogether purely because he needed to start dinner.

After climbing the elevator, Dimitri found his apartment in sight. Jiggling the knob, he sighs in frustration when he finds the door unlocked. He hated it when she did that. Even if they were at court, that didn't mean she was invincible to danger. In fact, Rose seemed to only attract danger.

Exasperatedly, Dimitri entered the apartment and closed the door after himself, locking it as well. "Rose," he began his chastisement, rubbing a thumb to his forehead to soothe the headache there. "How many times do I have to tell you not to leave the door unlocked? I know you're in the apartment so no one will 'steal anything' but-"

He was cut off by a loud 'shhh' and he looked up to find Rose perched on the edge of her seat of the couch, staring with rapt attention at the TV screen. "Dimitri shoosh, I'm about to find out who A is!"

Dimitri merely raised an eyebrow at her, unnoticed due to her fixation with the show. His jaw twitched in irritation and he strode towards their bedroom, prepared to change into something comfortable to prepare dinner in.

He really didn't feel like cooking, not right now, all he wanted to do was sleep, but sleeping for him was synonymous with cuddling with Rose and he really did not think he was up to that. Sighing, the guardian finished getting changed before heading out to the kitchen.

As he started prepping their dinner, Dimitri glanced over at his beau, who was still fanatically glued to the screen. He suppressed another sigh.

Not ten minutes later however, Rose came ambling into the kitchen, her favourite silk robe wrapped snuggly around her body. Dimitri left her to the silence as he continued his cooking, only too aware of the gaze she had pinned on him.

Finally, he couldn't help but turn, cocking a hip against the counter. "What is it Rose?"

She gave him an innocent look, appearing so incredibly young with how she was perched on the island counter swinging her legs back and forth. "Would you get annoyed at me if I ate a cookie before dinner?" she grinned.

Dimitri felt something in him snap, and he threw the towel he had in his hands on top of the counter. "Why are you so childish?" he said angrily, giving her a dark look before storming out of the kitchen.

Dimitri felt more than saw her follow. They ended up in the bedroom, with him perched on their bed, stormily glaring at the floor. He looked up when he felt her presence.

He winced at the hurt look on her face. "What's wrong?" she implored, even as she self-consciously tugged her robe closer to her body and scratched at her arm.

Dimitri exhaled loudly, running a hand through his hair. "Nothing Rose, just… leave me alone please… I don't want to speak with you, especially after the day I've had."

Rose frowned, brows furrowing, before determinedly turning around and storming out of the room. He tried to ignore the fierce way she bit her lip, and the imploring and hurt chocolate eyes she set on him.

For a long while, Rose left him to himself. The time let him stew on his rudeness to her, and the guilt was starting to set in. He still wasn't feeling exactly tip top after that idiotic green thumb of a guardian however.

Dimitri could heard the clattering of pans and utensils and the smell of something baking. Rose let out multiple expletives during this time, and the excess noises did nothing to soothe his headache. He felt rotten.

Rose poked her head in the doorway, looking nervous and biting her lip. She held something in her hands, a plate by the looks of it.

She came closer, very hesitantly, and Dimitri felt a stab of guilt in his heart. It was like she was afraid of him, or his words and he very desperately wanted to say that he wouldn't yell at her, but he wasn't sure if that was true.

"What?" he said bluntly, softly.

Rose ventured forward slowly, coming to a stop in front of him. "Here," she said quietly.

She held the plate awkwardly for some reason, and Dimitri recognised the food on the plate as burnt black bread. She'd slathered it thickly in butter. "There's more on the counter," Rose whispered.

Dimitri let out a sigh, prepared to take it even though he would've much preferred if she'd just left him alone rather than go to such devices. However, that's when he notices the way the plate shakes slightly and how Rose bit down on her lip much too hard for it to be of simple nervousness.

Instantly his eyes narrowed in on her left hand, shaking due to the large sweltering red mark there. Dimitri swiftly stood up, knocking the plate from her hands and not quite caring when it smashes on the floor. He snatches her hand, inspecting the burn mark. "Rose…" he murmured in concern.

Rose growled at him, wrenching her hand back. "It's fine."

Dimitri's eyes darken and he feels his anger come surging back. "No, it's not! Attempting to cook to make some foolish sentiment isn't an excuse to get yourself injured! How much more childish can you get!?"

Rose steps back from him, eyes suddenly shiny. "I'm not a _child _Dimitri."

He scowls, "Then don't act like one."

Rose's eyes widen in even more surprise and he immediately wishes he hadn't said anything, had given her a kiss on the forehead when he'd come home and coddled her when she watched her show instead, so he wouldn't have upset her.

But it was too late to take anything back, and he feels the sting of her slap against his cheek as acutely as the pain in his heart. Rose's eyes are glittery and she looks fierce, but wounded deeply. "If I was a child," she snarls, opening her robe wide for him to see, "Then why would I be wearing _this?"_

Dimitri stays standing there in shock as she storms off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She'd worn underneath the robe a lacy black lingerie set, one she _knew _he loved, and one much too mature for any child to wear. It looked perfect on her.

Dimitri runs another hand through his hair, stepping over the shattered pieces of plate that littered the carpeted floor. "Roza…" he mumbles, walking over to the bathroom door and hanging his head against it in shame.

"Roza…" he repeats softly.

"What?" he hears the indignant reply and it breaks his heart to hear the sniffs of her crying.

"I'm sorry," Dimitri whispers, "Please… Just…"

Before he can say whatever it is he wants, the door he was leaning against opens slightly. Dimitri can hear her slight sniffs a lot more clearly, but at least now she's looking through the crack into his eyes, even if her eyes are red and glossy.

"I love you." He says gently.

Rose just averts her gaze. "I know." she hesitates, "What's… wrong with you? Why do you keep… yelling at me?"

Dimitri sighs, leaning his forehead against the cool metal of the doorframe. "I really didn't have a good day. The new guardians… have found a new way to try my patience…"

Rose opens the door a crack wider. "What are they talking about?" she questions softly.

He smiled wryly. "You."

Dimitri can feel her shocked silence like he can still feel the sting of her palm. "It's especially trying when they refer to our sexual relationship as paedophilia."

The door was abruptly pulled open and Dimitri stiffens in surprise when Rose grips the collar of his shirt and drags his face down. "Our relationship is completely consenting on both our parts Comrade, don't you dare fucking let them get to you. If you do I'll slap you again."

Dimitri smiled gently, reaching up to untangle her fists from his shirt. He brought her in for a hug, letting go a few seconds after to guide her to the taps. He ran the cold water over her injured hand, reaching for the medicine cabinet easily and getting the burn ointment out, as well as some bandages.

As he was applying them he said, "Thank you for your concern Roza. I appreciate the efforts you went to. Even if it doesn't seem like it." Dimitri whispered the last part in her ear, keeping eye contact with her as he lifted her hand up so he could place a light kiss on the bandaged clad appendage.

Rose mumbled something, turning her head to the side as she tried not to blush.

"What was that?" Dimitri smiled kindly. He was amazed to see his headache was nowhere in sight.

"I said I'm sorry too because I know I'm not always as mature as I probably should be, especially around you, and-"

Dimitri cut her off by tilting her head up to look into his eyes. "Rose," he said sternly, "There is nothing wrong with the way you are. You are not childish, not in the slightest. I just…" his look turned wry," I'm not good at brushing off insults. I try and find the truth in them, and so I ended up treating you like how people _think _I would, but I don't want to do that because I love and respect you and-"

Rose in turn then cuts him off, with a quick peck to the lips. It makes Dimitri give out a dopey grin, and Rose wraps her arms around his neck as he lifts her up bridal style, carrying her out the door and past the bedroom and then eventually into the kitchen.

He sits her atop the island counter, except this time when she gives him an innocent expression and swings her legs, he steps between them and shoves a nearby piece of burnt black bread into her mouth with a smirk.


	53. Hair

Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews :) Enjoy~

**Summary** Rose would kill him if she found out what he'd been contemplating.

**POV** Third

53

Dimitri stares into the mirror in contemplation, one long, tapered finger lightly touching the tips of his long hair, loose from its usual pony tail.

A bittersweet smile stared at him in the mirror, his lips contorted in remembrance of the reason he had long hair to begin with. A quick glance to the scissors by his side made him question whether he should finally cut it short after all these years.

A dark, rough chuckle rumbled through his throat as one particular memory of his childhood assaulted him.

Dimitri was stretching in his backyard, Karolina beside him doing the same thing. Sonya was off playing with her dolls, not caring to practice the previous semester's regime like her siblings were. It was a cheerful day nonetheless, and Dimitri found his childish face beaming because his big sister was going to help him train.

He was young, only seven perhaps, and his body, already growing taller than his peers, was awkward, still getting used to his ever-changing build. And while his family could easily tell he would become the strongest of them all, that didn't mean he didn't need some help every now and then.

Their mother was inside, Babushka making her rest even though Olena argued she was only in her second trimester. She seemed oddly keyed up, even more so than her pregnancy seemed to make her, like something important was going to happen.

Nonetheless, Dimitri eagerly faced his sister, ready for a spar.

Dimitri remembered the fight very vaguely, only really remembering how physical it was. Karolina had started learning harder techniques in school, and the age gap between them was becoming obvious at that point. He was beaten, hard.

With no parents supervising, Karolina didn't recognise her little brother's scrapes and bruises that needed to be treated and instead went around the side of the house to get a drink from the tap, at least knowing their mother wouldn't want them tracking dirt inside to get a drink.

It was then, while Dimitri was the only one in the yard, on the floor and biting his lip to prevent tears, with numerous scrapes, that his father appeared.

Once again, he didn't recall much of the details. What he did remember though, was the large, cruel smile blooming over his father's face, the cold as ice eyes and the mocking laugh. He'd said something cruel about his mother that made young Dimitri flinch.

And then the monster was lifting his son up by the collar of his shirt, a fairly plain, now dirty, one that had a small print of a dinosaur in the corner. "Boy," he'd spat, looking his son in the eyes, "Don't be such a sissy."

Then he'd dropped him and Dimitri had let out a cry as his backside sharply hit the ground. Next the Moroi had grabbed onto the small pony tail at the base of his neck, pulling the elastic out and grabbing a chunk of the healthy brunette tresses.

"What do you call this eh?" he'd snarled, breath stinking of liquor, "What _man _can protect _anyone_ with long hair!? What kind of guardian?! You'll wind up dead! You think your mother, your _sisters_ will be safe if your girly locks are in the way!? Huh?!"

Dimitri's wide, childish eyes had blinked severely, his father still pulling roughly at his hair, and had remembered his mother vaguely mentioning his need of a haircut and suddenly was repulsed by the idea, even as his father gave him another disgusted snarl and stormed off into the house, so inebriated he didn't hear the young Dhampir whisper, "I like it like this."

Dimitri blinks his eyes, before breaking eye contact with his side in the mirror and rubbed a hand over his stubbled chin. He could only imagine how Rose wold have reacted had she been there too.

Eyeing the scissors lying next to him on the counter, Dimitri remembered later on that day, when his babushka had wanted to drag him to the barbers, and he'd refused, stating he'd prove that monster wrong, that he would be the best guardian with long hair ever.

Dimitri smiled bitterly at his reflection again, dimly registering the opening and closing of a door and the enthusiastic voice of his girlfriend as she called out a cheery hello.

Not long after Rose had located him in the bathroom and jumped on his back, nuzzling her nose into his neck. In the mirror, he curiously examined the sight of their long hair splayed across each other. "Mmh," Rose sighed heavenly, rising her eyes to stare lovingly at his hair as she gently played with it, "I love your hair."

Dimitri's eyes flashed over to the scissors laying harmlessly on the counter before chuckling and bringing his arms up to hold on to Rose's arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He tousled her hair, ignoring the annoyed yip she let out as he thought of how disappointed he would be if she ever cut her hair.

No, he thought with a smile, he could go on with proving his father he was _one _of the best guardians with long hair. Knowing Rose she'd hack hers right off along with him if he ever did such a dastardly deed.


	54. Vibrant

Hey guys! Thank you for all the lovely reviews :) I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's sort of a prequel to chapter 48, Pamper. AND GUYS GUESS WHAT! This story has officially over 100 favourites! You guys are great :D

**Summary **Adrian would probably be expecting a photo of the outcome unfortunately.

**POV **Third

54

Rose blinked widely at the item laying on the marble kitchen counter.

It was a care package of sorts, something Adrian had picked out and sent to her from wherever he was currently traveling. It was probably some sort of gag, considering he knew her to not be one for impracticalities.

Rose moved towards it, surprised to see the small, rectangular present to be addressed to Dimitri, with a small heart and kissy face next to Adrian's signature. He'd never sent something specifically for Dimitri before.

He was in the bedroom, from what she could tell of the clunking of draws, and must have been the one to place it on their counter. She wondered if he had any idea of what it was.

Rather than beckoning for her beau to come open it, Rose went to swipe a clean pair of shorts from the basket in the living room, stripping out of her workout leggings and into comfortable cotton. Her top went next, but she didn't bother replacing it with a shirt. She needed a shower anyway, and Dimitri had seen her in a lot less than cotton shorts and a sports bra.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Dimitri appeared next to her side, pulling her back to his bare chest and hugging her gingerly. "Hello Roza," he mumbled into her ear, an absent sleepiness tinging his tone.

Rose grinned and hugged the taut arms encircling her waist. They stayed in that pose for several moments, their eyes closed and serene expressions on their faces. Eventually however, Rose peeked an eye open and twirled in her beau's grip. "You have a package." She stated.

Dimitri quirked a brow, an amused expression playing in his deep, chocolate gaze. "Yes, I know."

Rose waited, staring up at him impatiently. "From Adrian." She persuaded.

Dimitri just tucked a lock of her brunette hair behind an ear. "Shall we go see what it is?" he smiled indulgently.

Rose practically dragged him over to the kitchen, eager for him to open it. When she stood there expectantly, Dimitri merely gestured for her to open it.

Gleefully, she did just that. Dimitri stared at the curve of her shoulder, unaware as she gaped at the package in her hands.

"Dimitri…" she said slowly, "Why did Adrian send you nail polish?"

Dimitri blanched. "What..?" he managed, his eyebrow twitching.

Rose turned to him with a smirk. In her hands lay a box that contained three different coloured nail polish's the most obvious a bright, vibrant yellow.

There was a note attached to it. "Because Rose's toes are probably as vibrant as this nail polish!"

At the note, both Rose and Dimitri blinked hollowly. "Um… What?"

Dimitri gave a wry smile, shaking his head lightly, his soft brown hair moving minuscule around the curve of his jaw. In the next motion, he picked Rose clean off the floor, hiking her over his shoulder in a fireman's toss.

With the box still in her hand, he gently tossed her on their couch, sitting cross legged in front of it and then dragging her feet from the couch onto his lap. Rose stared at him, baffled, until he quickly took the nail polish box from her hands.

Her face dawned in recognition mixed with horror and a tinge of laughter. Her laughter got louder when he ticked the underside of her foot lightly, the appendage being held still in the Russian's lap even as she reflexively attempted to jerk it away.

"Don't doubt my talent at painting nails Rose," Dimitri intoned dryly.

Rose scowled, giving him a harsh look. "No." she stubbornly said.

Dimitri's teasing look softened and Rose honed in on the light blush dusting his cheeks as he sheepishly stared at her petite feet. "Please," he murmured, "I want to take care of you."

Rose felt a blush of her own colour her cheeks. She then pouted, turning her head away and puffing her cheeks out to hide her flustered state. "Fine,"

She could see the small smile of gratitude and love quirk her beau's lips as he ripped open the packaging, untwisting the bright yellow polish.

Rose finally couldn't resist the temptation, angling her head so she could wholesomely stare at the sheer concentration Dimitri exhibited. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he kept having to pause at his task to brush back strands of his loose hair. It made her want to run her fingers through it, but she refrained, his attentiveness too sweet to interrupt.

Occasionally she felt the slight tickle of the brush against the outer ridges of skin bordering her toenails and felt the wetness of the paint. Rose resisted a giggle, loving the set of his jaw and the pursing of his lips. Every so often he murmured a curse in Russian and Rose couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her throat when the strong scent caused him to sneeze.

He gave her a withering look, as if scolding her for tempting him, and it wasn't long before he'd finished.

"There," he rocked back, using the momentum to stand and stretch his large hands before plopping next to her on the couch, throwing an arm over the back. The look of pride beamed from his every pore and Rose sent a smirk and a giggle in his direction before bringing her feet up so the heel rested on the rim of the couch.

But she froze as soon as she saw them. Biting her cheek harshly, Rose tried not to bark out a laugh. Her toes were a frighteningly yellow mess, with the paint bordering her toenails more than filling in the crevices of her nails. He'd done a truly awful job.

It seemed something in her expressing gave her away, because Dimitri's face dropped and a shallow imitation of his guardian mask slipped on.

"It's… Lovely comrade," Rose finally said, with the speculation of a mother complimenting her four year old's finger painting skills.

She turned to face him then and a grin slithered its way to her face, even as she quickly took stock of the situation and held up her hands pleadingly. "No, really! You… did a really good job Dimitri, I swear!"

But it was too late. Dimitri let out a sardonic smile and a sigh and quirked an eyebrow, dropping his arm and dragging her closer, resting his chin on top of her head. "I did an awful job, didn't I?"

Rose finally let her giggles loose, letting out a breathless 'yes' somewhere in her torrent of laughter. Dimitri began to chuckle, resting his forehead against her own as his chuckles vibrated through the both of them.

Eventually their laughter abated somewhat and Rose said, with a twinkle in her enveloping eyes, "You did a really good job for your first time," she promises.

Dimitri nuzzled their noses together, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes happily. "I love you Roza."

Her resounding cheesy grin and bright, sparkly eyes said all he need to hear.


End file.
